


how to find your perfect muse

by arcthunders



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Mishima struggling over being the center of attention, Slow Burn, Yusuke struggling over art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23358376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcthunders/pseuds/arcthunders
Summary: Yusuke's in a slump, and he thinks that this may be the end for his career as an artist. But then he comes across a discovery one day in the planetarium, a new passion that stirs his drive to create, and it just so happens to come in the form of a small, timid boy.
Relationships: Kitagawa Yusuke/Mishima Yuuki
Comments: 21
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

Yusuke Kitagawa is in a slump.

To clarify, he is in an _art_ slump. The kind in which he finds himself staring at a blank canvas, paintbrush in hand, without a clue what he’s supposed to do.

He’s had slumps before, as any artist, but he always managed to get over them quite quickly. These sorts of things were quite easy to get past when you had a deadline and an angry mentor to deal with, after all.

He’s quite sure that this has all to do with the realisation of Madarame’s crimes, the heinous plagiarising he committed that was a sin to the art world. His mentor’s actions hit him hard, forever tainting the purity of his perception of art, and the malicious politics that can often get involved.

But that discovery was already two months ago, and still he finds himself at a loss when it comes to his canvas. He needs to find a new source of inspiration now, a new passion that can reignite his malignant spirit.

He’s tried all sorts of techniques that were so successful before, from frequenting art galleries to walking along the streets of Tokyo, people-watching and drawing inspiration from each individual’s uniqueness. But still, no luck, as the world seems just a little bit greyer now, a little duller and washed out than before, during his naiveté.

Today, he finds himself back at the planetarium, his latest haunt that he has taken quite a liking to. He’s found that people from all walks of life frequent this place, from starry-eyed children to young lovers, seeking refuge for their blossoming love.

Even if the people provide no catalyst for his artistic spirit that day, he can always sit back and enjoy the star show that the planetarium puts on, the multi-coloured representations of their universe endlessly fascinating him.

He’s perched at the back of the stage now, watching as people begin to filter in for the next show, a sketchbook in his hand as he observes them go. A woman with a child clinging onto her hand, a man clad in a business suit and briefcase in hand, and a pair of excitable young girls, chattering to each other animatedly as they pick out their seats.

Yusuke manages to sketch down all of them in quick succession, but he senses nothing stirring in him, his soul a devoid and barren land. Sighing to himself, he snaps shut his book and stows them away into his bag, wondering if he should just give up for today and return to his dorm room.

He’s in the middle of zipping up his bag when he notices a familiar face, bespectacled, half-hidden in a tangle of black hair, belonging to nobody other than Akira Kurusu. Brightening at the sight of a friend, Yusuke abandons the previous notion of returning home, and instead makes his way over to Akira, standing by the entrance of the planetarium.

“Akira!” he calls out, wondering at the coincidence of meeting his friend here. His leader never struck him as the type to go to these type of places, as Akira always seemed to fill his schedule with jobs and memento-hunting.

It’s only when he approaches his friend, garnering his attention, does Yusuke realise that Akira is with someone else, as the other turns over, surprise evident in his eyes for finding the art student in such a strange place.

“What are you doing here?” Yusuke asks, his tone amiable, before he’s flickering his gaze over to the other, and then suddenly he widens his eyes as his heart skips a beat, a familiar sensation firing up in him as he glances over at the other.

A boy, shorter than even Akira, with shining grey eyes and ruffled dark hair, staring right at him, making Yusuke’s heart thump to be regarded by his gaze. His features appear delicate, almost fragile, accentuated by his porcelain skin that reminded the art student of portraits in the Edo period.

Yes, _this_ is exactly what he was searching for, as Yusuke can’t contain the excitement bubbling up inside him, a smile spreading onto his face.

“My new muse!” he exclaims, just as his new muse points at him and shouts:

“The weirdo eccentric!”

Yusuke blinks.

While he’s accustomed to his fair share of responses to his… _Unconventional_ personality, that is certainly not what he expected. Even Takamaki’s reaction was friendlier than this.

“I beg your pardon?” he can’t help but blurt out, still reeling from the comment. He can see Akira crossing his arms to the other side of the boy, letting out a wearisome sigh.

“We’re on a – umm… Investigation,” his friend explains, as Yusuke straightens up, trying to regain his composure.

“Investigation?” he echoes, tilting his head to one side in question. He’s visited the planetarium a fair amount, and Yusuke honestly never detected a hint of suspicious activities in this area. Akira only shrugs.

“There have been a few reports of a strange man walking around the planetarium, mumbling to himself and causing a bit of concern, and Mishima and I came here to look into it,” he continues, before pointing over at the dark haired boy ( _alias: new muse_ ).

“Yusuke, this is Mishima,” Akira drones, seeming not very excited about this introduction, as he gestures towards the boy, “Mishima, this is Yusuke. He’s a friend of mine.”

His new muse, evidently called Mishima, as part of Yusuke thrills at attaining the knowledge of the other’s name, looks at him up and down.

“So he’s your… Friend?” he asks, in a light voice that makes Yusuke resist his fingers from reaching up into his backpack right now and seizing his sketchbook. Even his _voice_ is delicate, and it only incentivises the art student to commit these memories to page right this instant.

Instead, he contains his newfound emotions, inclining his head in a slight bow of greeting.

“Indeed, my name is Yusuke Kitagawa, a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he says, demonstrating perfect social etiquette in his opinion, though when he looks up again, Mishima still appears… Concerned? Yusuke isn’t the best at reading facial expressions.

“Umm… I’m Yuuki Mishima and… It’s nice to meet you?” his new muse replies, though it sounds more like a question than a statement.

No matter, the boy must still be shy at being regarded at with much fervour, as Yusuke surmises. He’s aware of the overwhelming nature of his artistic passion, as he’s been told (off) many times, and so he diverts the subject and looks over at Akira, convinced that this will ease Mishima.

“A strange man, you say?” he asks his friend, looking up to appear to be in deep thought. “I come to this planetarium quite often in hopes of finding artistic inspiration, and I can say in truth that I have found nothing that matches the description,” he reports, in the same fashion that he does in the middle of their heists.

“But I can keep a look out for here, in case he does decide to surface, and contact you immediately if I see anything suspicious, if that helps,” he continues, resisting the impulse to puff his chest out in pride. In a swift statement, he has demonstrated that he is both knowledgeable and reliable, and he’s sure that Mishima would surely be impressed by his feats.

When he dares to steal the briefest glance at Mishima, however, he finds a quizzical expression, instead of one of admiration, though it’s short-lived, as Akira is elbowing him in the ribs.

“See, Mishima? Yusuke will stake out this location, won’t that be helpful?” his friend asks, voice unnaturally upbeat, as both Yusuke and Mishima frown at their friend.

“If you say so,” Mishima relents, though he sounds unconvinced.

Yusuke wants to say more, to assure the both of them that they can place their utmost trust on him, but then the lights around them are dimming, as they all lift up their gazes to look at the darkening screen above them.

“Since you’re all here, perhaps you’d like to join me in watching the star show?” Yusuke pipes up, gesturing towards the empty seats near them. “Their displays of the universe are quite phenomenal, I must admit.”

He can see the two exchanging glances, before Akira is shrugging, making his way over to the seats and plopping himself over at the far corner. Mishima seems a little more hesitant, but he’s following anyway, taking a seat next to the black-haired boy. That leaves Yusuke to follow after them, sitting down next to Mishima, pleased that he’ll be able to come into such close proximity to his newfound muse.

Yusuke can barely pay attention to the screens throughout the entire show, as he’s filled with a sort of nervous energy, constantly steals glances towards the boy next to him. Mishima’s expressions throughout the show are honestly adorable, changing from uncertainty, to dazzled, to outright wonder at the displays of stars.

It makes Yusuke’s spirit want to burst from this colourful array emotions, as he tries to commit his new muse’s face to memory, seizing up this light before it’s snuffed out by the dull world outside.

Before he knows it, the show is over and the lights are coming back on, and then they’re filing out of the planetarium along with the rest of the crowd, as the three of them hang around the entrance, about to go their separate ways.

“That was actually pretty impressive,” Akira admits, as he leans against the black brick exterior of the planetarium, his hands in his pockets. From his side, Yusuke can see Mishima rocking on his feet.

“Yeah, the supernova explosions were so bright!” he grins, excitement evident in his voice.

Yusuke can only dumbly nod in agreement, unsure how long he can contain himself.

Unaware of Yusuke's dire circumstances, Akira is lifting himself up from the wall, heaving his bag over his shoulder as he looks at the both of them.

“Well, I need to go now, Sojiro wants me help him out at the café tonight,” he says, as he begins heading out for the central street. Mishima lets out a hum of confirmation, following after his friend.

“I guess I should go too,” he says, as he looks back over at Yusuke, who’s been blinking throughout the entire exchange, trying to come up with the best way to ask his question.

“It’s been nice meeting you, Kitaga –” Mishima starts, but then the art student is immediately cutting him off by running up to him, violently bowing in front of the shorter boy.

“Umm – Sorry, Mishima, but I must ask you: please be my muse!” he bursts out, all the words that he was bottling up flooding out of him now as he violently bows, his eyes trained onto the ground now in front of him.

A short silence follows after them, as the noise of nearby cars and the chatters of passers-by fill the air, as Yusuke can only await his response.

“Uhh… Wha…?” is all Mishima manages, confusion evident in his voice.

“Oh boy, here we go again,” he can just barely hear Akira mutter, as he straightens back up, looking into Mishima’s grey eyes with utter seriousness as he reaches up to clasp at his new muse’s hands.

Mishima’s hands are small, fingers slender, and Yusuke has to make a conscious effort from diverting his eyes to inspecting them, instead focusing his gaze on the boy in front of him, who looks entirely bewildered at the moment.

“My artistic spirit has been deprived recently, and I’ve found the world to be lacking in colour, a desolate, grey wasteland, empty of meaning or beauty,” Yusuke explains with a sigh, unable to filter out the weariness in his voice. But then he’s perking up again, gripping tighter against the boy’s wrists as he feels himself begin to flare up again.

“But then, I saw you, and then I was hit with it, a sudden passion! Never before has my heart felt so invigorated, my fingers so eager to sketch!” he declares. “Please, Yuuki Mishima, allow me to paint you!”

Another pause falls between them. His new muse seems to falter, Mishima’s eyes darting away from his gaze as the boy looks towards the ground.

“Err… Umm…” he hesitates, the faintest hints of red dusting his cheeks. It makes the fire inside Yusuke grow hotter, each time he sees new expressions on his new muse’s face.

“Yusuke’s an art student,” he can hear Akira helpfully piping up, as the dark haired boy steps in, reaching up to pat Mishima on the shoulder.

“He’s done this before,” Akira explains, “but it’s been a while since I’ve seen him so… Fired up.” He ends that sentence on a flat note, as if he’s not too impressed. But Yusuke’s too caught up in this, as he enthusiastically nods in agreement.

“Akira is correct, I attend Kosei High School, and lately, my projects have been dry and bland, in my opinion,” he admits, his eyes dropping down briefly in shame. “My teachers have yet to catch on, but I don’t know how much longer I escape their detection… But, with you!” he turns his gaze back to Mishima, “I’m sure that my artistic drive will return, I have no doubt about it!”

He can see his new muse looking confusedly between him and Akira, looking not too sure of himself.

“Umm… I don’t really know… What I should do,” Mishima hesitates. Yusuke already feels a small part of himself giving into despair at that reply, as he resists a gulp.

How can he lose his muse, when he’s just found him? Will his slump really continue to prevail, despite this one brief instance of hope in his life?

He starts pondering about the reality of such an existence, before he hears Akira’s voice sounding over the thoughts, causing him to shift his attention from his internal crisis.

“How about this?” Akira offers, “Yusuke will give you a few days to consider his offer. You don’t have to decide immediately, and you can discuss with me and Ryuji if you have any other questions.”

“An excellent suggestion, Akira!” Yusuke smiles. Yet again, his friend proves himself to be an adept and expert tactician, truly worthy of a leader.

His new muse appears a little more relaxed at this, as he hesitates for a few more moments, before giving a slight nod.

“Umm… Okay… Give me a few days?” he says, and Yusuke barely stops himself from jumping in joy at that response, instead sucking in his breath and trying to hold in his enthusiasm.

“Marvelous, Mishima, I eagerly await your response!” he replies, in all courteousness that he muster, as he doubts hugging his new muse would ease the boy in any way.

“… My hand…” his new muse mumbles, his blush reddening as he tugs his hands, still in Yusuke’s grasp, the art student having forgotten about them during his tirade. Yusuke drops his eyes to them, starting a little in surprise.

“Oh! My apologies!” he says, before he releases Mishima, instantly missing the warmth of his new muse’s hands in his own.

Mishima is steadfastly looking away from him, the blush still on the boy’s cheeks, as he points a thumb over his shoulder, beginning to back off.

“Umm, I’m gonna go now, I have some homework to finish up,” Mishima says, as he starts turning away from them.

“It’s been nice meeting you, Kitagawa,” he nods over at Yusuke, who blinks at him, caught off guard by the politeness. And then he feels his heart warming, as he gives the other a smile, raising a hand to wave goodbye.

“Goodbye, Mishima,” he replies, as his new muse also raises his hand to give him a shy wave, before he’s walking off, disappearing into the crowds ahead of them.

And then he’s gone, as Yusuke takes a long breath of hair, feeling reinvigorated, like a newly made human. He has found his new muse, and Yusuke already can’t wait to return to his room and begin sketching out ideas, with Mishima’s features still fresh in his memory.

“Akira, I must thank you for that fateful meeting,” he looks over at his friend, who’s been quiet throughout their exchange. “You must be my lucky charm, to always bring me founts of beauty and inspiration.”

His friend lets out a chuckle, as they begin walking alongside each other, heading over to the train station.

“I wouldn’t exactly say I’m _bringing_ them to you,” Akira says, bringing up a hand to rub at the back of his neck.

“Where did you meet Mishima, anyway?” Yusuke asks, out of curiosity. Akira merely shrugs.

“He’s a classmate of mine,” his friend replies simply.

“Ah, so he’s a Shujin student,” Yusuke looks off into the distance, a hand coming up to stroke his chin in thought. “Perhaps I should survey your school, to see if there are more people like him…”

“Please don’t,” Akira interjects flatly, before he’s nudging Yusuke on the shoulder, breaking Yusuke out of his reverie. “Go easy on Mishima, alright? He’s a little more nervous than Ann, and he’s not as vocal about it either.”

“Rest assured, Akira, I will never intentionally harm your friends,” Yusuke vows, his voice completely serious, as Akira only sighs in response.

“Well, ‘intentionally’, no,” he drawls, as Yusuke furrows his eyebrows at his friend.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying,” the art student says, as Akira shakes his head.

“Never mind,” he waves a hand dismissively. “Just, try to be observant of Mishima, alright? He can be pretty shy.”

A-ha, and so his muse is the bashful kind? Certainly, a new medium to work with, and Yusuke is already excited by the prospects of it, as he nods along to his friend’s words.

“Of course, I will do my best to make sure he feels safe and comfortable at all times,” he answers. A beat skips over them, and then Akira is guffawing, stifling his laughter with a hand. Akira isn’t prone to such outbursts, and Yusuke starts at his friend for his sudden actions.

“Akira?” he exclaims, wondering if he should be worried, “is everything alright?”

He sees his friend waving up a hand to assure him, as Akira composes himself, taking in a breath and continuing his brisk pace alongside Yusuke.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he manages to reply, but Yusuke can still detect the faintest hints of laughter in his friend’s voice. “I’ll do my best to convince Mishima to help you out, then,” he offers a smile to Yusuke, who positively brightens at this, lips curling into a grin.

“You have my utmost gratitude, Akira,” Yusuke says, as Akira only hums in response. They continue walking alongside each other, their conversations turning over from topic to topic, until they reach the train station.

For the first time in a long time, Yusuke returns to his room feeling satisfied, and he can only wait out the next few days for Mishima’s reply. It sounds like a gruelling and wearisome task, but Yusuke knows that he must prevail, if he ever wants to overcome this slump.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone, this is my first time ever posting a fic and i figured why not do it for a rarepair for an old-ish(?) videogame. this has been sitting in my drafts for a while and i thought i'd like to see how others found my writing, hopefully it's uhh legible HAHA


	2. Chapter 2

His prediction is right, and the next few days _are_ grueling and wearisome, as he returns to his grey days and staring sessions at canvases, at loss for what he’s supposed to do.

His sketchbook has a few pages filled with his new muse’s face, as Yusuke tried to pour his memories of their fated meeting onto paper, but it’s not the same without Mishima standing there right in front of him.

He’s mulling over this, staring blankly out the window of his dorm room, before he feels his phone vibrating in his pocket, a small ding sound indicating a text message. Startled out of his daydreaming, Yusuke reaches a hand in to fish out his phone, clicking it open to read:

**Akira** : come over to the shujin gate entrance

Curious, Yusuke allows a few more moments to pass to see if Akira has more to say, but his friend doesn’t follow up, as the art student gathers that he must still be in class and only managed to type this out.

When he glances over at the clock, he realises that he only has half an hour before Shujin students are released, and so he’s muttering a curse to himself as he jumps off his bed, sending a quick reply to Akira and hurriedly throwing a jacket onto himself, making sure he looks presentable before he leaves.

He arrives ten minutes early, because he seems to have overestimated the distance in between his school dormitories and Shujin Academy. He spends most of this time loitering outside the gates of the school, ignoring the strange looks he seems to be getting and instead lamenting over the last few bits of yen on his card that the train ride costed him.

He’s only brought out of his thoughts when he hears a voice calling out his name, and when he looks up, he immediately sees Akira heading over to him, accompanied by Sakamoto and (his heart skips a beat) his new muse.

Akira is smiling in greeting at him, while Sakamoto waves energetically, seeming oddly excited at the prospect of finding Yusuke outside their school gates. Mishima, on the other hand, looks away, and the art student can see a red blush creeping up on his neck, partially hidden by the high black collar of their school uniform.

Yes, certainly the bashful kind, as Akira told him the other day, as Yusuke feels himself thrumming at this bit of information.

“Kitagawa!” Sakamoto greets enthusiastically, loping over to bump Yusuke amiably on the shoulder. “What’re you doing here after school, trying to get a look at cute Shujin girls in their uniforms?” he waggles his eyebrows playfully, as Yusuke shoots him an unimpressed look.

“Girls in school uniforms don’t seem to aid my projects,” he replies bluntly, as it’s the truth.

“As unappreciative as always,” Sakamoto laments, as Yusuke rolls his eyes. Sometimes, he wonders if he can find common ground with this one.

“He’s here to talk to Mishima,” Akira helpfully chimes in, as the other two approach them.

Now _that_ gets Yusuke’s attention, as he feels himself perking up, eyes darting over eagerly to Mishima, who’s fidgeting to the side now, the blush steadily working his way up to his face and colouring his cheeks in that fascinating shade of pink.

“Did you… Consider my request?” the art student asks, barely able to keep the anxiousness out of his voice as he regards the other.

“Um… Yes, I did, and Akira told me about your situation,” Mishima starts, as Yusuke can only wait with bated breath. “I – I’ll do my best to help you,” he finishes that last sentence in a mumble, his cheeks fully flushed now as he brings his grey eyes to meet Yusuke’s.

The art student can sense his spirit beginning to fly again, just like that first instance when he met Mishima, as he feels a full-on grin coming onto his face, relief and joy washing over him.

“Eh?” Sakamoto unhelpfully interjects, breaking Yusuke’s momentum as he looks between the two of them. “Help him with what?”

“You know about Yusuke’s art slump,” Akira explains, “he and Mishima met the other day and well, I guess he found a new inspiration in Mishima.” He gives a sort of noncommittal shrug to his friend.

“Kitagawa… and Mishima…?” Sakamoto continues darting his eyes in between the two of them, as if he can’t believe it, and then he’s bursting out into laughter, reaching a hand over to slap the shorter boy square on the back, making Mishima start at the sudden contact.

“This is rich! First Ann, now Mishima, you really do find your motivations in unlikely people!” he snickers, before turning to Mishima. “Good luck Mishima, and look after this guy for us, alright? He can be pretty air-headed, so you’re going to need to be extra alert around him so he doesn’t go spending his money on something stupid,” he grins.

Mishima only blinks at Sakamoto, a little lost for words.

“Um… Look after?” he echoes, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. _A new expression_ , Yusuke tells himself as he mentally records this.

“Don’t mind Ryuji,” Akira pipes up, side-stepping in between them. Taking this as his cue, Yusuke looks over at his muse, though not before shooting a glare at Sakamoto.

“Yes, please ignore Sakamoto,” he continues, a certain tone of authority coming into his voice, “he does not understand the work that goes behind the creation of a piece of art.”

The blond only lets out a scoff, kicking at the dirt beneath their feet.

“Yeah, big loss on my part,” he grumbles, as Yusuke outright frowns disapprovingly at his friend now.

“Well, I think it’s time we headed off, aren’t we supposed to train today, Ryuji?” Akira announces, nudging Sakamoto to get his attention. The prospect of training seems to excite the blond, as he brightens up, like a dog hearing the rattle of a tin of snacks.

“Oh yeah! I totally need to show you my new favourite gymming spot,” he says, apparently forgetting what he was talking about prior to this. He looks over at Yusuke and Mishima, giving them a cheerful wave.

“Guess we gotta head off now, you kids play nice, alright?” he grins mischievously, “I don’t wanna have to suddenly run all the way over to Kosei to settle an argument or anything! Let’s go, Akira, I’ll race ya!” 

Without bothering to wait for a reply, Sakamoto takes off, racing away as top speed, leaving Akira behind. He glances over to them briefly, giving them a hopeless shrug, before he’s also dashing away after Sakamoto, leaving the two of them together in front of the school gates.

“That Sakamoto…” Yusuke mutters to himself, as he doubts the words their friend imparted on them eased his muse in any way. When he glances back up to check on Mishima, his fears his suspicions are confirmed, as Mishima is looking at the ground, fidgeting on the spot.

“Um, the painting thing?” he pipes up with a small voice, and it makes something in Yusuke start, surprised by the forwardness of the other.

“Oh! Yes, when are you free?” Yusuke asks, taking up the momentum of the conversation while he can. Mishima’s slender fingers play with the strap on his shoulder bag, and Yusuke again tries to not stare at them.

“Err, mostly Sundays, because of our school schedule,” he replies.

“Excellent, my schedule also lines up!” Yusuke beams, even if his weekend is mostly vacant anyway, but Mishima doesn't need to know that. “Shall we meet this Sunday, at my dorm?”

“D – Dorm?” Mishima splutters, his eyes widening and snapping up to him, the blush returning to his features. “I – Isn’t that…?” Yusuke only tilts his head to one side, unsure why his muse seems so flustered.

“It’s where I do most of my painting, and where all my art supplies are,” he explains, with an innocent blink of his eyes. That answer seems to calm the other, as Mishima relaxes his shoulder, looking off to one side.

“O – Oh, yeah, you have a point,” he mumbles, seeming embarrassed. “Uh, yeah, I can do that.”

“Wonderful, in that case, I’ll see you then!” he says, and then they’re falling back into that awkward silence, as Yusuke struggles to keep their conversation alive.

“Should I walk you to the train station?” he offers, because that’s the only thing he can think of, but it seems to be the wrong option, as Mishima is stiffening, the embarrassed look again returning to his features.

“Um, I bike home,” Mishima answers, pointing his thumb backwards in indication of the bike rack behind the gates.

“I see, I wonder if I should invest in a bike too, as my walks are beginning to take up too much time,” Yusuke observes, voicing his thoughts out loud. “But I doubt my budget can accommodate to such expenditures.”

Mishima frowns up at him questioningly.

“Bikes are relatively cheap, and there’s always the train,” he remarks, as Yusuke resolutely shakes his head.

“I’m out of budget this week for my train, too,” he answers, and Mishima looks absolutely astonished by this information.

“How can you be out of budget for the train?” he asks, a hint of incredulity in his voice.

“I bought several brands of tea, and their collected price was… A little more than I expected,” Yusuke admits, as Mishima raises an eyebrow up at him. _Another new expression_ , he notes down.

“Why?” his muse continues prodding him, as Yusuke senses himself being judged just the slightest.

“… Because their packaging was too nice for me to ignore, and I couldn’t just buy _one_ alone,” he admits, albeit with much reluctance.

Mishima stares at him for a few moments, before he's bursting out into laughter, and Yusuke is absolutely _floored_ by this new expression. His mouth all curved into that wonderful smile, his eyes all crinkled up, Yusuke’s never seen such joyous emotions before, much less on his muse. It makes something in him want to see it more, but Mishima is finished all too soon, straightening up to look at him, though there’s still a grin on his face and a hint of that laughter in his eyes remaining.

“Ryuji was right after all, you really can’t be trusted with your own wallet, can’t you?” he chuckles.

“One is not enough, they had to come in a set or else it wouldn’t look right when displayed!” Yusuke protests, and that elicits more laughter from his muse, which delights the art student, despite his dignity being questioned.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Mishima relents when he’s done, as he grins up at the other. “I need to go home, but I’ll see you on Sunday, okay?”

It takes Yusuke a few moments to catch up to his words, as the art student is still caught up in the wonder of his muse’s laughing expression, absolutely marvelous, before he’s shaking himself out of those thoughts, as Mishima is still gazing up at him.

“Ah, yes! Sunday, I’ll see you then,” he repeats, tripping a little over his words, but he hopes he played it off well. And then he’s remembering something else, reaching his hand into his pocket and fumbling for his phone. “And before I forget, shall we exchange our contact information, so that I can communicate with you?”

“Oh! Yeah, sure, what’s your number?” Mishima replies, as he casually takes out his own phone.

They quickly exchange contacts, as Yusuke registers his muse into his own phone, barely resisting the urge to name Mishima just that. Satisfied, he deposits his phone back in his pocket, looking up to see his muse adjusting the straps on his shoulder bag, looking ready to take off.

“Well, gotta go now, bye, Kitagawa!” Mishima pipes up as he begins to turn around and head for the bike racks, waving at Yusuke. He flashes a smile towards the other, waving back at him.

“Goodbye, Mishima,” he replies, and Mishima is giving him another grin before disappearing behind the school gates.

Yusuke feels as if he’s walking on air during his trip back to the dorms, too happy with the fortune that he’s come across these past few days. Not only does he find a new drive for him in his artistic pursuits, but Mishima also agrees to become his muse? Nothing can top that, Yusuke is sure of, as he enjoys his walk back to the dorm, despite his fully depleted budget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to mention but i have like... pretty much the whole fic done now apart from little bits in the last part, so i'll be posting pretty often. hopefully this'll also encourage me to actually finish this fic ;v;


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday takes much too long to come around, and when it finally does, Yusuke spends most of the day cleaning out his room, clearing out a space in the middle and propping up his canvas in the corner. He’s usually quite neat, but today, he makes the extra effort to meticulously tidy up the place, dusting his shelves and positioning the art supplies on his desk to be perfectly symmetrical.

He’s in the middle of doing the same to his tea tins when he hears his phone letting out a _ding_ on his table, as he rushes over, picking it up and opening up the new text message displayed on the screen.

**Mishima** : uhh, i think im here

**Mishima** : your school dorm is the big white building next to your academy, right?

Unable to stop the grin on his face, Yusuke quickly taps out a reply.

**Yusuke** : Yes, that’s the one!

**Yusuke** : Give me two minutes, I’ll be right over.

Hurriedly, he finishes the final touch ups to his display, before he’s rushing out of his room, grabbing at his phone before he exits through the door. He makes his way over to the dorm entrance, down the staircase and through the corridors, before he’s arriving at the reception area. He sees Mishima sitting on one of the couches, appearing a little nervous as he looks around.

“Mishima!” he calls out in greeting, causing his muse to startle, before looking over at him.

“Kitagawa,” Mishima nods in greeting, before he’s standing up to walk over, offering him a timid smile. “Glad I didn’t get lost on my way,” he tries at a joke, as Yusuke gives him a reassuring chuckle.

“That would certainly be problematic,” the art student agrees, as he gestures towards the doors in front of them. “Come, let me escort you to my room.”

Mishima lets out a noise of agreement, and then they begin walking down the halls of his dorm, lapsing into a silence as they make their way through the corridors. They’re walking up the staircase now when he Mishima letting out a small cough, signalling his attention.

“Um, so what exactly am I supposed to do as your… Er, muse?” he asks, as Yusuke glances over, noting down the hesitant look in his eyes as they continue climbing the stairs.

Yusuke shakes his head, giving him a nonchalant shrug as they finally reach the room of his floor.

“Nothing at all, just relax and be yourself,” he replies in truth, as they re-enter the white corridors. “That is what I seek to portray in my endeavours, after all,” he continues, as they eventually reach the front of his door.

“Just… Be myself?” Mishima echoes, a question in his voice as Yusuke reaches into his pocket to fish out his room card.

“Correct,” he ascertains, before he swiftly swipes the card over the reader, waiting for the green light to flash and then opening the door, swinging it open and ushering in Mishima. 

He follows in after the boy, pausing at the front to take off his shoes, neatly lining them up along the wall. He notices Mishima standing a little way off, seeming to give the room a quick look around as he slowly makes his way in.

“Wow, your room is pretty neat,” his muse observes out loud, as Yusuke grins, unable to help but feel oddly proud.

“I tend to keep my workspace tidy, as I’ve found that it helps the artistic process flow more smoothly,” he says, breezing over the fact that he spent a ridiculous amount of time today adjusting the pencils in his stationary holder to align just right to show off their brand names and delicately worked in patterns.

He can see Mishima beginning to wander now, as the boy makes his way over to the bookshelf tucked away in the far end of his room, standing on his tiptoes to see the top shelf, before he’s glancing over at the art student with a grin.

“Is this the bunch of tea tins that costed you a week’s worth of train fares?” he asks, a hint of teasing in his voice as he points towards the display of tins that Yusuke just finished rearranging moments ago. The art student manages an embarrassed cough.

“I stand by my defence that they look best when bought as a set,” he replies, trying to maintain his dignity.

Mishima lets out a laugh at this, the same, light and delicate tune that makes Yusuke’s heart stop, as he widens his eyes to take in the marvelous image of his muse’s smile, the art student feels a renewed need to commit all of this to his canvas.

“Wonderful,” he murmurs, too enraptured in his daydreaming that he doesn’t know if he just voiced it out loud. Evidently, he did, as Mishima is pausing, the smile still on his face as he tilts his head to one side.

“Hmm? Did you say something?” his muse asks, as Yusuke forces himself out of his thoughts, shaking his head and coming to.

“Err, nothing, Mishima,” he stammers, trying to regain his composure as he sucks in a breath, straightening up his back and gesturing towards his bed. “Please, take a seat, while I prepare my materials.”

Mishima blinks at him once, before he’s turning his attention to the bed, appearing quizzical.

“Where are you going to be?” he gaze darts between the bed and Yusuke, as the art student shuffles over to his work desk, gathering up his easel and brushes.

“I’ll be sitting off to the side, by my canvas,” he replies, gesturing in the general direction of the corner of the room, his attention occupied by the tubes of acrylics that he’s carefully squeezing out.

When he’s finished, he swiftly moves over to sit by his canvas, materials all prepared and easel in his hand as he looks over at his muse, who’s been observing him throughout, grey eyes trained onto him with a quiet curiosity. It pleases something in Yusuke to be regarded by his muse with such attention, but he feels the need to reassure Mishima again.

“Just, don’t worry about me, and do what you’d normally do during your free time,” he encourages, as Mishima furrows his eyebrows at him.

“Do what I’d normally do?” he echoes. The art student nods.

“Yes, when I paint my subjects, I tend to lapse into long periods of intense concentration,” Yusuke explains, “and so it’s best if you relaxed and go about your normal business, to assume your most natural pose. Otherwise I fear you may quickly tire out, or grow bored.”

Mishima seems to consider his words, his muse’s grey eyes lifting upwards in thought.

“Umm… In that case, is it alright if I worked on the Phan-site?” Mishima asks, pulling out his his phone in indication. Yusuke tilts his head to one side, curiosity piqued.

“Phan-site?” he repeats in question. His muse lets out a hum of confirmation.

“The Phantom Thieves website,” he clarifies, tapping out something onto his phone before he’s showing the screen to the art student, revealing a familiar black and red page.

“I don’t know if Kurusu mentioned it, but I’m the one who created it, and well… I spend most of my free time managing it,” Mishima smiles, and Yusuke can detect hints of pride in his voice.

“It must be difficult, maintaining a website,” the art student observes. He doesn’t have much knowledge on web development or coding, but from what he’s gathered of the Phan-site, he understands that it can’t be easy. He hears Mishima making a noise of agreement.

“It’s tough, but someone’s gotta do it,” he says, his eyes sparkling with motivation, and it makes Yusuke’s fingertips twitch at the handle of his paintbrush, eager to paint this down. The website seems to draw sincerity and excitement from his muse, and so Yusuke believes that it’s a fine stimulus for Mishima, as he nods in ascertainment.

“Feel free to work on your site,” the art student acquiesces, as Mishima’s gaze snaps from his phone screen to him, appearing taken aback.

“You’re sure?” he asks, “I could like… Read a book or something, to appear more thoughtful.”

His response is honestly endearing, and it makes Yusuke laugh lightly to himself as he shakes his head.

“No, the website is clearly important to you, and what I wish to convey to the canvas is just that,” he explains, as he can see a faint blush coming onto his muse’s cheeks, as Mishima sinks back against the bed, still looking unsure.

“Alright, if you’re okay with it,” he relents, as Yusuke hums in response.

He waits a few moments, for Mishima to return his attention to his phone, and then he sees it again, that excitable, and yet concentrated on his muse’s face as he taps his fingers against his phone, focusing on his site. Pleased, Yusuke sits back against his chair, drawing his paintbrush, and finally putting it to his canvas, etching out wide, experimental strokes, as he tries to capture the scene in front of him.

He doesn’t know how long he spends in complete concentration, an hour, a few hours, perhaps, but in the end, he’s letting out a defeated sigh, setting his easel to the ground. Despite his muse sitting right in front of him, Yusuke still finds difficulty in bringing this feeling in his spirit to the canvas, and it frustrates him to no end, as he can feel his brows knitting together into a frown.

It seems to startle his muse, as he glances up to see Mishima sitting a little straighter, regarding him with a look of concern and confusion.

“Umm… Are you alright, Kitagawa?” he asks, as Yusuke rubs a hand at his shoulders, sore from the long period spent stock still.

“It seems that my slump has prevailed, and I still cannot put my feelings into a picture,” he confesses, rolling one shoulder. “My apologies Mishima, it seems that I have failed to adequately present you in my crafts today.” His muse seems to hesitate, setting down his phone.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Mishima offers.

Yusuke briefly considers asking him to strip, as he did with Takamaki, but then Kurusu’s words echo faintly in his head, reminding him of the bashful nature of his muse. No, he doubts that he can ask Mishima such a question, as it would surely scare off the boy.

Instead, the art student shakes his head, trying to dispel the frown on his face as he pinches his brows together with two fingers.

“No, it’s not a problem on your end, Mishima,” he replies, as his muse looks upwards, appearing to be in thought.

“Um… You’ve had other, uh… _Muses_ , before, right?” he stumbles over his words, as if he’s not sure how to phrase it. It makes Yusuke wonder where he’s going, as he blinks at the boy, curious.

“Kurusu told you, then?” the art student questions, as Mishima nods in affirmation.

“Yeah, about you and Takamaki, and I was wondering… Why not ask her again?” he suggests. Yusuke resolutely shakes his head in response.

“No, the inspiration I found in her is gone, I no longer feel the urge to draw when I see her,” he sighs, looking off into the distance. “It probably vanished when she elbowed me in the ribs…” he remarks out loud, eliciting a confused expression from Mishima.

“Uh – Elbowed?” his muse repeats, looking slightly concerned. Yusuke waves his hand dismissively.

“It’s in the past,” he reassures Mishima. “What matters now is you, as you are the only spark of life that I’ve come across in a long while, the only panacea that I can find for my ill spirit,” he continues, looking utterly serious.

His words seem to fluster the other, however, as Mishima’s blush reddens, quickly averting his eyes to stare at his phone.

“Umm… W – Well, what exactly _is_ it in me, that you see?” he stammers.

“Why, your beauty, of course,” Yusuke replies immediately, as if it’s the simplest question in the world. The answer causes his muse to flush now, but still, he continues. “You possess a perfect form of aesthetics, a combination that I have never witnessed in my life, and it grips me with a desire to put it all on canvas, to show the world what I have seen because of you.”

Mishima is outright staring at him, looking at him with grey eyes that reflect confusion and embarrassment.

“Um… Kitagawa, you’re aware that I’m a _guy_ , right?” he asks, as Yusuke lets out a _hmph_ of dismissal.

“Beauty does not recognise gender, and neither do I,” he retorts, looking at Mishima with utter seriousness. “I am a follower of the pure aesthetics of vision, and the emotions that it is capable of evoking. What I see in you is completely unique, and that is what compelled me to make such a bold request, to ask you to become my muse.”

A brief silence falls over them, as Mishima seems to process his words, the redness fading from his cheeks as he relaxes his shoulders, sitting back against the bed.

“I – I, uh, see…” he mumbles, as Yusuke picks himself off his chair, taking up his easel and depositing it by his desk.

“I’m afraid I’ve wasted your time today, however,” he laments, as he begins cleaning up his easel, taking up a tissue to mop away the remnants of acrylic against the wood. “You came all the way over, and I couldn’t even paint a fitting picture of you…” he trails off, dejected, as he hears Mishima scrambling at the bed to stand up.

“N – No, don’t worry!” his muse protests, causing Yusuke to lift his head up and glance over his shoulder at the other. “I was able to put in some good work into the site today, so it wasn’t a waste!”

It’s evident that he’s trying to be optimistic, and Yusuke appreciates it, but his spirit inside mourns over the loss of today and his inadequacy as an artist, as he shakes his head.

“You don’t need to reassure me, Mishima, I know when I’ve failed,” he sighs.

“Look… Maybe you need to change up something?” the boy offers, wincing at his words. His comment causes the art student to snap his gaze up, seizing on the suggestion.

“Change up?” he echoes, the cogs in his mind beginning to whir, before he’s slapping a fist against his palm, reaching a sort of discovery.

“Yes… Mishima, that’s exactly it!” he exclaims, as his muse only tilts his head to one side.

“Uh… It is?” he asks, as Yusuke is vigorously nodding now, though mainly to himself.

“Yes, I understand now… This room is far to drab to accommodate to someone like you!” he declares, too caught up in his revelation now to stop. “I shall seek out a better location for you next time, something that will match your prowess as a muse, rather than hold it back!”

“There’s going to be a next time?” he hears Mishima ask in the background, before he’s turning his gaze to the other, feeling a new sense of vigour firing up inside him.

“Mishima!” he announces, startling the other as he sees Mishima sitting up a little straighter on the bed. “Are you free next Sunday?”

“What? Oh! – Umm… Yeah?” Mishima splutters, evidently caught off guard.

“Good, I will message the location of our next meeting, rest assured that I will find a place that will compliment your features!” he nods, satisfied with his plan.

His muse, on the other hand, appears troubled, as Mishima looks off to the side.

“O – Okay…” he mumbles, before he’s glancing down at the watch on his hand, letting out a curse and jumping to the floor.

“Shoot, I didn’t realise that I spent such a long time here,” he says, making a dash for his bag and starting to put on his shoes. “I need to go now, Kitagawa, I’ve gotta get dinner,” he explains, as Yusuke follows after him.

“Not a problem at all, shall I show you out?” he offers, gesturing towards the door. Mishima shakes his head.

“Nah, it’s fine, I’ve gotta rush anyway,” he says, and then Yusuke is extending his hand towards the door knob, twisting it and opening up the door to allow Mishima to exit.

His muse appears anxious, as he hurries over to the door, pausing only as he crosses over the threshold, glancing over at Yusuke.

“Well, I’m gonna go now, thanks for… Um, hanging out?” he says, though it sounds more like a question.

The art student lets out a small chuckle, as he raises a hand to wave in goodbye.

“It was my pleasure, Mishima, have a safe journey,” he says, as his muse flashes a grin at him, before he’s turning away, running along the corridors and disappearing into the stairway.

As soon as he closes the door, Yusuke lets out a tiresome sigh, slumping against the nearby wall, a sudden weariness overcoming him.

He can’t help but feel disappointed over the little progress he made today, as evidently having found a new muse is not enough for him to mend his wounded spirit. How can he overcome this art block, especially now that he has Mishima to help him? Yusuke can only despair at the thought of further wasting his muse’s time.

Never mind, he’s sure that their next meeting will be more fruitful, as Yusuke thinks that he’s pinpointed the problem now, glancing around at his treacherous room. How foolish of him, to think that this backdrop would be suitable for a subject such as Mishima. No, his muse requires more elegance, more refinement, and that’s exactly what Yusuke spends the rest of the day looking up, as he traverses the various websites that pop up when he plugs ‘beautiful Tokyo spots’ into the search bar, searching for the exact, perfect location.


	4. Chapter 4

“Um… When you said another location, I didn’t exactly have this in mind,” Mishima remarks as he sits across from Yusuke, hands neatly folded on his lap while he looks over at the waters that surround them.

“Of course, what other place could offer as beautiful a scenery as the park?” Yusuke reasons, barely looking up from the sketchbook that he’s currently hunched over.

It’s Sunday again, and this time, he asked Mishima to meet him at Inokashira Park. He swiftly led his muse over to the riverside, searching out the boat rental shop and asking to rent out a ride for an hour.

That’s how they find themselves sitting together on a boat in the middle of the park river on a Sunday afternoon, a cool breeze blowing over them and rustling the nearby willow leaves that dip into the water. It’s the perfect setting, and Yusuke already feels his soul beginning to soar, to be surrounded by such natural beauty, with the trill of bird song sounding over them as their boat lazily drifts along the river, a few lotus blossoms passing by them.

“I mean… Why _this_ , exactly?” Mishima continues, gesturing towards their surroundings and causing Yusuke to divert his attention from his work, blinking innocuously up at his muse.

“Because the site I visited informed me that a boat ride in Inokashira has some of the best sights that one could find in Tokyo,” he answers truthfully.

Mishima hesitates.

“But – isn’t a boat ride something that –” he looks like he wants to continue, but then Mishima seems to abandon the thought shaking his head. “Never mind,” he sighs, slumping his shoulders and leaning back against the boat, as Yusuke returns his attention to his sketches.

“So… You’re drawing me again?” he can hear Mishima’s voice pipe up. He glances back up, seeing the other looking over at his sketchbook.

“Yes, the delicate green leaves of the willow tree, paired with the clear waters underneath, they really do well to bring out your beauty,” Yusuke replies, as he continues his long pen strokes, conveying the wispy tendrils of the trees.

When he looks back at Mishima, he can see his muse blushing again, as Mishima focuses his attention on a lotus blossom that’s floating by them.

“You… Really are comfortable with saying embarrassing things, aren’t you?’ he mutters, as Yusuke manages a small chuckle, briefly remembering Akira saying something similar.

“I’ve been told that, yes,” he smiles, as he delicately sketches out the petals of the lotus blossom, noting how its pink matches well with the shade colouring his muse’s cheeks.

A brief silence lapses over them, as Yusuke concentrates on his sketches, taking in the opportunity to allow his creativity to flow while he still can. He’s not sure how much time has passed, but he can vaguely register the sound of Mishima letting out a cough, as he snaps his gaze up from his sketchbook, looking at the other in question.

“Uh, I think we’re getting some looks from others,” Mishima says, nodding to their side.

Curious, Yusuke shuffles around to also get a good look at their surroundings, seeing the others inside their respective boats, people that seem to be regarding them with quizzical expressions. Two girls in particular exchange giggles as they glance over at them, as Yusuke frowns in confusion.

“Strange, I wonder why that is?” he remarks out loud, as he notices Mishima widening his eyes at him.

“You… You really didn’t know?” his muse asks, sounding incredulous. Yusuke only tilts his head to one side.

“Know about what?” he enquires, eliciting a flustered ‘ _ummm_ ’ from Mishima.

“This is a – uhh… Popular _date_ spot, especially the boat rides,” Mishima explains, his cheeks growing two shades redder as he does so. “You know, for young couples…” he trails off, sounding embarrassed now.

Yusuke furrows his eyebrows at him, taking a few seconds to put two and two together, before he’s getting the hint, sitting back and setting down his book.

“I see, so you’re saying these people assume that we’re out on a date?” he ponders, as Mishima fidgets on the spot.

“I – I’d say they think that, yeah,” he affirms. Yusuke blinks at him.

“I don’t see the problem here,” he replies, tone earnest.

It seems to catch Mishima off guard, as the boy looks across at him, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“You don’t?” he asks, as Yusuke is shaking his head.

“I don’t have much concern for what others think of me, how can I pursue my career as an artist if I do?” he says, reaching an arm up to knead at his shoulder. Seems like he was hunched over a little too long. “If I were to worry about the world’s perception of me, I would be unable to chase the beauty and aesthetics that I seek, too blinded by the thoughts of others. To be an artist is to discard yourself of such concerns, or at least to minimise them.”

Mishima appears to have stilled during this, as the boy looks at him, his grey eyes beginning to shine. 

“That’s actually… Quite profound, Kitagawa,” he remarks, a hint of awe in his voice.

Yusuke thinks that it’s maybe the first time that he’s managed to impress his muse, and so he can’t help but let out a chuckle, tucking a strand of indigo hair behind his ear.

“Is it?” he asks, trying to sound nonchalant. “These are only lessons that I have learned as an art student.”

Mishima lets out a light laugh.

“I think it’s a pretty good lesson for everyone to learn,” his muse grins, as Yusuke feels his heart warming up at the sight. He seems to get this reaction every time he sees Mishima’s smile, and he thinks that he’ll never tire of it.

He opens his mouth to reply, but then they’re both cut off as Yusuke’s phone lets out a _ding_ , indicating that their time is up. Surprised, he reaches into his pocket to take out his phone, just to double check, unable to help the small tide of disappointment washing over him.

“Has an hour passed by already?” he asks out loud, astonished by how quickly the time seems to have flown by.

“Should we be heading back to the rental shop?” Mishima pipes up, as Yusuke nods in agreement, grabbing at the oars.

They quickly row back to the pier, exiting the boat and handing their rental tags to the storeowner, and they quickly find themselves standing at the exit of the park, loitering around awkwardly.

“Um… So, what now?” Mishima interjects helpfully, as Yusuke struggles to think of a plan for the rest of the day.

He thinks that he doesn’t want to waste any more of his muse’s time, and so he decides to best leave it for today, as he gets out his phone, checking the maps for the best route home.

“I think I’ll return to the studio today, to –“ he starts, but is interrupted when he hears a loud growl, quickly realising that it’s coming from his stomach.

Mishima also seems to notice, as he's looking downwards, appearing impressed.

“Uh… It sounds like you’re pretty hungry,” he points out. “Wanna go eat something?”

“I have leftovers in my room,” Yusuke waves a hand dismissively, but he doesn’t appear to be convincing, as Mishima looks at him quizzically.

“Leftovers, on a Sunday?” the other asks, as Yusuke hesitates.

“… I’ve run out of budget again for this week,” he finally admits, as Mishima raises an eyebrow at him.

“What did you spend your money on this time?” he continues his interrogation, crossing his arms and tapping a finger.

“Nothing!” the art student protests, before he’s slumping his shoulders again, buckling under the small frown that Mishima's giving him. “… The boat ride was also a higher rate than I anticipated,” he mutters, rubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Why didn’t you tell me, so we could’ve split it?” Mishima sighs, before he’s nudging at Yusuke. “Come on, let’s go somewhere to eat for lunch, my treat.”

“You – You don’t have to!” he insists, something in him unable to allow his muse to pay for his meal.

Mishima doesn’t seem as affected, as the shorter boy only shrugs his shoulders, before glancing back at him.

“It’s the least I can do about the boat ride thing,” he retorts, “and besides, I’m kind of hungry too.” He flashes a quick smile in Yusuke’s direction.

Yusuke regards him for a few moments, before he’s uttering out a sigh in defeat. He doesn’t think that he stands a chance against Mishima’s smiles, as he begins following after the other, the two of them beginning to cross the street and head in the direction of Shibuya.

“If… If you’re alright with this,” he relents, as Mishima bumps against him.

“No problem at all,” he chirps. “Now, what’re you in the mood for?”

Yusuke takes a moment to think about this, as he strokes his chin in thought.

“Hmm… Sushi, preferably topped off with fine slices of ginger and soya sauce…” he hums to himself, as Mishima’s eyes widen at him.

“So expensive!” his muse exclaims. “No wonder you’re always short on cash.”

“But it tastes nice,” Yusuke protests, as Mishima rolls his eyes.

“Definitely no, not when we’re on a student’s budget,” he shakes his head, before perking up. “Hey, since we’re headed towards Shibuya, why not some ramen? I know a pretty good beef bowl shop there.”

Yusuke tilts his head to one side.

“Beef bowl?” he echoes with a frown. “I don’t think I’ve ever tried that before.”

“You’ve never tried beef bowl?” Mishima repeats, astonishment in his eyes as he looks up at Yusuke. “What sort of life have you been living?”

He waves a hand in dismissal before Yusuke can respond, determination burning in his expression now as he quickens his pace.

“Never mind, I’m going to introduce you to one of the most delicious dishes that this city can offer,” he declares.

Yusuke thinks that it’s quite a tall order, but the look of steely resolve on his muse’s face is absolutely endearing, as he keeps that thought to himself, hiding a smile as he follows along.

They walk through numerous streets and alleyways, as Mishima weaves through them with relative ease. He’s evidently familiar with this area, and Yusuke is quite impressed by his navigational skills, as soon, they wind up in front of a modest looking store, placed right in the middle of Central Street.

Mishima orders for the both of them when they walk through the curtains, asking for the same dish as they take a seat next to each other on one of the counters.

The inside of the store is warm and filled with the cacophony of conversation, as various people popular the interior, chattering away to their companions as they hunch over their meals. Yusuke rarely goes into these sorts of places, and so it’s a novel experience for him. He takes in their surroundings, fascinated by the buzz of activity and walls lined with vintage posters.

The smell is also exquisite, as he can see white fumes coming from the kitchen in the back, the scent of cooking broth and grilled meat filtering into the air. Evidently, his stomach also shares this thought, as it lets out another loud growl, startling himself and eliciting a laugh from Mishima.

“Smells good, doesn’t it?” the shorter boy grins, as he leans against the table, propping his elbows up against the wooden surface.

Yusuke nods in agreement, looking over to steal a glance into the kitchen, curious to see the cooking process.

“Indeed, this fragrance is truly wonderful,” he affirms, as Mishima lets out a small chuckle in response.

“Well, it’s a good thing these sorts of restaurants also serve quickly, so you don’t need to wait long,” Mishima assures him.

Just then, almost as if on cue, a waiter emerges from the kitchen, two bowls in his hand as he approaches them.

“Two orders of the classic beef bowl?” he asks as he stands by them, while Mishima looks up and gives him a nod.

“Yup, that’s us,” he answers, helping the waiter take the bowls and placing them onto the counter. “Thanks!”

Yusuke takes a moment to inspect his dish, inhaling the aromatic scent that it emits. From what he can tell, it’s a bowl of ramen, steeped in beef stock, topped off with slices of beef and spring onions, along with additions of various greens. It smells absolutely delicious, and he’s only brought out of his thoughts when he sees a pair of wooden chopsticks poking into his vision, as he looks over to see Mishima handing him the pair.

“Come on, dig in!” the boy encourages, as he snaps his own chopsticks apart.

Taking his cue, Yusuke does the same, breaking his apart and using them to scoop up a few strands of noodles. Slowly, he takes an experimental bite, and then his eyes are widening at the burst of flavour that hits his tongue.

“Does it taste good?” Mishima asks, as Yusuke nods enthusiastically, gulping down the noodles.

“The richness of the stock, paired with the subtle hints of black pepper… I never knew such flavours could be blended to create such an exquisite taste!” he remarks, as Mishima lets out another laugh.

“I’m glad you like it,” Mishima grins, before they’re both returning their attention to their meals in front of them.

Yusuke wolfs down his meal, chasing down every last strand of ramen. When he sits back, finished and in a blissful, post-food states, he looks over at Mishima, who’s only half-done with his food, staring at him with a look of wonder. 

“Um… Wow. That’s probably the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone finish off a beef bowl,” he comments.

“Well, your initial claims were correct, and the meal was delicious,” Yusuke acknowledges with a smile. Indeed, this food has received his formal recognition.

“Really, I think you should enter that burger eating competition next door or something,” Mishima grins. “I’m pretty sure you’ll win if you can eat at that pace.”

“If the burgers taste as good as this beef bowl, then I’d be willing to take that challenge,” he replies, as Mishima snickers.

The other finishes off his meal quickly after Yusuke, and soon they’re standing outside the beef bowl store, about to head their separate ways.

“Really, Mishima, I owe you for the meal,” Yusuke insists, refusing to give this up. “Rest assured, I will pay you back in no time, and I’ll –“ he’s cut off when Mishima’s shaking his head, raising a hand up to halt him.

“Hey, like I said, no worries, you can pay me back anytime” the other replies. “Maybe we’ll even go have some expensive sushi, on you,” he jokes, giving a mischievous wink to the art student.

Yusuke can’t help but laugh along with him, a part of him thrilling at the prospect of seeing more of Mishima.

“I’ll see what I can do about that,” he grins, as Mishima lets out another chuckle before he’s checking his watch, looking like he’s ready to take off.

“Right, I’m gonna head off to the train station now, since it’s so close,” Mishima points a thumb towards the station entrance just at the end of the street. “You’re going to walk home, aren’t you?” he asks, as Yusuke lets out a hum of confirmation.

“You sure you’re gonna be safe? I’m not sure how far Kosei is from here,” Mishima frowns, grey eyes peering into him. Yusuke, on the other hand, can barely contain himself over the show of concern from his muse, at how their relationship has progressed now. He tries to play it cool, shaking his head.

“No need to worry, I’ve walked home from here before, it’s not bad,” he reassures the other.

Mishima sighs, not looking too convinced, though he starts towards the train station.

“Alright… Don’t go spending your money on more weird stuff, okay?” he calls out, as he raises a hand to wave at the other. “I’ll see you later!”

“I’ll try my best,” Yusuke replies, as he raises his hand to wave in goodbye.

He watches for a few moments as Mishima disappears into the crowds, before he’s letting out a sigh, starting the walk back to his dorm room.

It only occurs to him much later that they never quite decided when ‘ _later’_ is, and so Yusuke spends much of the week agonising over the best time to spring the question on Mishima, as he ponders over the complicated practice that is social etiquette, wondering if he’s allowed to take up so much of the other’s time.

Defeated, he thinks it’s best to ask Akira, as it’s Tanabata Festival next week, and he thinks that it’s a good chance to find out about Mishima’s schedule.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy this one's long

It’s Tanabata today, and Yusuke finds himself standing in the middle of the train station along with Akira and Ryuji (yes, they're on first name terms now), waiting for the girls to arrive.

He’s wearing his yukata today, as customary, though he laments how the others don’t seem as excited about the traditional outfit as he is, instead opting to wear their normal school outfits. Akira’s excuse is acceptable, as he’s only just moved into Tokyo, but Ryuji gives him a weird look as they loiter around the pillar.

“You look so natural in that yukata…” he comments, though Yusuke doesn’t feel like it’s exactly a compliment.

“Don’t you have a set of your own, Ryuji?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. His friend only shrugs.

“Nah, yukatas are too much of a bother to put on, it’s much easier to go in my normal outfit,” Ryuji replies with a grin, leaning his head against the wall.

Yusuke resists rolling his eyes at Ryuji's’s uncultured nature, and contents himself with crossing his arms and also leaning against the wall, training his eyes onto the distance. He doesn't think his lectures get through to Ryuji, so there's absolutely no point in one today, either.

“When do you think the girls are going to be done?” Yusuke instead pipes up, the question directed towards nobody in particular.

Both Akira and Ryuji shrug, and then the three of them are letting out sighs. Nijima and Ann bonded quite quickly over the short period of time in between their latest heist and the festival, and it surprises no one that they’re late to the suggested meet up time for the festival.

“Oh, you guys are here for Tanabata also?” a familiar voice rings out, causing Yusuke to startle and look over, and he feels his heart catching in his throat when he instantly recognises its owner.

“Mishima! Fancy seeing you here,” he can hear Ryuji calling out, as the shorter boy approaches them. “Guess everyone’s going to catch the fireworks display, huh?”

Mishima lets out a small chuckle in response, as he scratches the back of his neck with his hand.

“Yeah, I’m here with my parents,” he gestures over to a pair of adults standing nearby them, though they don’t seem to be paying attention to the semi-circle of teenagers. “Just wanted to stop by and say hi, maybe I’ll see you guys during the festival!”

He nods towards them, flashing a quick grin before he’s turning around and making his way back to his family.

“Is everyone from school here or something?” Ryuji wonders out loud as Mishima disappears from sight, just as they look over to see Ann and Nijima approaching, the two girls dressed in their yukatas.

“About time,” Ryuji grumbles, as the girls make their way over to them. Ann immediately shoots a glare towards him, completely undoing the charm of her outfit.

“What was that, Ryuji?” she growls, placing her hands on her hips. Evidently realising that he may be in trouble, Ryuji's putting up his hands in surrender.

“Uhh, nothing! We were just talking to Mishima!” he splutters, and even Yusuke can tell that this is a horrible attempt at changing topics.

Miraculously though, it seems to work, as Ann is retracting, looking surprised.

“Mishima?” she echoes, before she’s clapping her hands, remembering something. “Oh, right! Yusuke’s new model!” she looks over at him, a grin on her face. “How’s that going, by the way?”

“You haven’t asked him to strip yet or anything, right?” Ryuji adds with a raised eyebrow, though Yusuke hazards a guess that he's only eager to continue derailing Ann's attention from himself.

“ _Strip_?” Nijima gasps, looking concerned, the first time she's spoken tonight.

“You’re not frightening Mishima or anything, are you?” she frowns at Yusuke, the authoritative air that she usually commands returning to her. “As student council president, it’s my job to look out for the welfare of Shujin students.”

“No, I’m not,” Yusuke shakes his head, barely stopping himself from adding ‘ma’am’ to the end of his sentence. “I’ve simply asked to draw him, for my art projects,” he explains, helpfully leaving out the whole ‘muse’ thing. He doubts that Nijima would take kindly to that, as the piercing look he’s receiving is honestly unnerving.

His answer seems to satisfy her, as she’s nodding, reaching one hand up to pinch at her forehead.

“As long as he’s fine… I do worry about him, considering how he was Kamoshida’s favourite target back then,” she sighs, while Yusuke furrows his brow. He vaguely recognises the name, though he’s not sure from where.

“Did something happen?” he asks, as Nijima stiffens, hesitating for the slightest second.

“It’s not my place to say,” she eventually replies, “but I would advise you to be considerate of his feelings, Kitagawa.” Nijima shoots him a threatening glare. “I will not forgive you if you’re the reason behind one of my students falling behind on their work, you understand?” she asks, as Yusuke has to resist a shiver. She could be terrifying if she wanted to.

“Geez, are you teacher or something?” Ryuji interjects, reaching his hands behind his back and resting his head against his palms. “I’m sure Mishima will be fine, he hasn’t complained about Yusuke yet or anything.”

“Yeah, as long as Yusuke’s fixated on a new target, _I_ can relax,” Ann cheerfully adds, as Yusuke lets out a wearisome sigh.

“Why does everyone always assume the worst of me?” he mutters, as Akira is letting out a cough now to get everyone’s attention.

“We should head over to the festival, shouldn’t we?” their leader chimes in, as the rest of the group perks up at that.

“Definitely, let’s go! I need some chocolate dipped bananas now,” Ann agrees enthusiastically, while everyone starts heading in the direction of the festival.

“Do you exclusively eat snacks?” Ryuji groans, tucking his hands into his pockets as they begin climbing up the station staircase.

“Shut it.” Ann hisses, glaring daggers at him.

Alright, Ann doesn’t like having her eating habits questioned, duly noted.

The festival is already up and running by the time they poke their heads out of the train station, the streets ahead of them lined with lanterns that light up the darkening sky. Stalls populate the entire street, filled with various foods, souvenirs, and a few games booths here and there. There’s also a sizeable crowd already there, the laughter of children and excited chatter filling the air.

“So many stalls!” Ann exclaims, her blue eyes sparkling with joy as she tugs at Nijima’s hand. “Come on, Makoto, we’re going to try out every snack tonight!”

Nijima doesn’t seem as taken with the idea, as she widens her eyes in shock.

“E – Eh?!” she splutters, but it’s too late, as an enthusiastic Ryuji is swiftly dragging her away, the two of them disappearing into the large crowd.

“We waited so long for them, and yet they ditched us in the first opportunity,” Ryuji sighs, as he looks over at the two of them. “Whaddya guys wanna do now?”

“We could pick out a seat for the fireworks,” Akira suggests, as all of them glance towards the throngs of people in front of them.

“Good idea,” Ryuji agrees, before he’s looking over at Yusuke. “Oi, Yusuke, mind getting us some snacks while Akira and I find a good spot for us later?”

Yusuke blinks at him for a few moments, before he’s letting out a resigned sigh.

“… Very well,” he replies. “Anything in particular?”

“Thanks!” Ryuji cheerfully chirps. “Sukiyaki, if they got any.”

“Takoyaki for me please,” Akira adds, as Yusuke nods to the orders.

“Alright, I’ll try my best,” he replies.

It’s how he winds up walking along the crowded streets of the festival, navigating his way through the mass of people that line up the stalls. Evidently, Tanabata is a popular festival, and so the queues for each stall are quite long, especially for the snacks. He’s in the middle of inspecting a particular snack booth when he hears someone calling out his name, causing him to snap his attention back up.

“Kitagawa! Guess I found you again,” he immediately recognises Mishima, who’s waving energetically at him as he approaches. He gives Yusuke a friendly grin, before glancing around. “Where are the others?” 

Yusuke waves his hand dismissively.

“Off on their own, I was sent on an errand to buy snacks for them,” he replies.

Mishima lets out a low whistle.

“Yikes, snack duty is never fun,” he comments, eliciting a small laugh from Yusuke.

“No, and I doubt I have the patience for these queues, anyway,” he adds, as his muse grins.

“Hey, if you’ve got time, you wanna go check out the games booths together with me?” Mishima pipes up, his eyes lighting up at the prospect. “It’s like, the thing I always do whenever I come here.”

His muse seems eager about this, reminding him of the enthusiasm he showed over the Phan-site, and so Yusuke can’t help but grin.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he says, as they begin walking along the streets, Yusuke following after Mishima.

They weave their way through the crowds, heading in the direction of the more colourful booths that pop out, with bright lanterns and multitudes of toys lining up their sides to attract more attention.

“Ooh, hey, a throwing booth!” Mishima points towards a nearby stall, the back lined up with bottles of various sizes. “C’mon, you up for a little competition?” he nudges at Yusuke, making him raise an eyebrow at the other.

“Are you challenging me?” he asks, as he fishes out a hundred yen from his pocket. “Very well, I hope that you brought your best abilities to the table today, as I don’t intend to lose,” he says in an utterly serious voice.

“I didn’t expect you to be so fired up over this,” Mishima remarks, though there’s a sparkle in his eyes to indicate his amusement.

“Of course, the spirit of competition is what drives an artist. How else can I better myself if I have no push to improve?” Yusuke retorts, still keeping up the act and eliciting a laugh from the other.

“Alright, let’s see who wins this,” Mishima grins at him, as they begin heading over to the game booth.

As it turns out, Mishima is the better thrower, as he knocks down all three bottles, while Yusuke only manages two. They’re both walking away with their prizes now, Mishima twirling a colourful pen in his fingers, while Yusuke inspects his consolation prize, a maneki-cat shaped magnet.

“Your aim is quite impressive, Mishima,” Yusuke notes, as Mishima lets out a chuckle.

“Don’t underestimate me, I was in the volleyball team, after all,” he snickers, as he points the pen towards Yusuke, offering it up to him.

“And, uh, do you want my prize? I figured since you’re an art student and all, you can never be short on stationary supplies,” he says, and Yusuke can swear that just the faintest hints of pink are dusting his cheeks now.

It’s a small act, but it makes his heart warm and he can’t refuse, huffing out a small laugh.

“If you don’t mind,” Yusuke smiles, as he gently takes the pencil from Mishima, putting it into his pocket.

A small pause fills in the air between them, as Mishima fidgets a little on the spot, before he’s looking back up at Yusuke, a grin on his face.

“Now, who’s got the better skills?” he teases, making Yusuke chuckle.

“It’s hardly fair if you’re challenging me to something you’re well-versed in, how about a rematch?” he offers, as his eyes scan the booths for more games. He picks out a particular stall lined with small toy guns, as he glances over at the other.

“How about that one?” he suggests, pointing towards the game booth.

“The shateki booth?” Mishima asks, looking over at the stall, before he’s grinning at Yusuke. “You’re on.”

Shateki is much easier for Yusuke than the throwing booth, as his time against the Shadows allowed for plenty of practice in his marksmanship. He manages to knock down even the smallest candy packet lining up the shelves, while Mishima only manages to take down the larger targets.

“Woah, you’re pretty good at shooting!” his muse comments when they’re done, his eyes wide with amazement as they’re setting down their guns.

“I’ve had experience,” Yusuke smirks, pleased that he’s able to impress his muse once more.

“Guess we’ll call it a tie, then,” Mishima laughs, as he glances over at the prize box now in front of them. “What’re you gonna pick?”

“You can pick,” Yusuke pulls the box over, offering it to the other.

“E – Eh? You’re okay with that?” Mishima asks, another blush creeping up on his neck.

“It’s only fair if you decide, since you gave me your prize,” Yusuke replies with a shrug.

“I – If you’re fine with it…” Mishima mumbles, before he’s tentatively looking through the box, poking at a small keychain decorated with a green tassle. “Is this good?” he hesitates.

“You don’t need to ask,” Yusuke chuckles, as he reaches over to extract the keychain, placing it in Mishima’s hands.

The blush reddens against the shorter boy’s cheeks, but Yusuke can see the sparkle in Mishima’s grey eyes, as he thinks that his muse is pleased with this. It makes him resist a laugh, as he swears that he’ll never tire of Mishima’s various expressions.

A sudden, loud crackle above them causes both of their gazes to snap upwards, as Yusuke can see a large shower of red sparkles blossoming in the sky. The crowd also seems to notice, as animated chatter fills the air, along with the joyous squeals of children. When he looks over to Mishima, he can see the other’s eyes wide with wonder.

“Looks like the show’s started,” Mishima grins, as Yusuke can’t but return the smile.

The light mood is quickly put on hold, however, when Yusuke feels a sudden dampness on his shoulder, as he reaches up to touch his yukata, feeling the cloth damp beneath his fingertips.

And then more droplets of water are quickly pouring down, as he feels the _plip plop_ sensation of them hitting his hair. Instinctively, he flattens out his palms over his head, covering up what he can as he looks towards the night sky, now littered with grey specks of water.

“Rain?” he resists a groan, as he internally grumbles over how the weather has managed to destroy the mood.

“And just when the fireworks are starting, what terrible timing,” Mishima adds with a sigh, as he shields his eyes from the light shower that’s coming down on them.

“Surely there’s somewhere we can shelter while we watch the show,” Yusuke says, glancing around their surroundings.

Their wanderings have brought them to the end of the street now, with river to the one side of them, the rest of the road leading up to a rather large hill, decorated with trees. Yusuke squints up towards it, wondering if the trees up there could provide adequate shelter from the rain.

“How about up there?” he suggests, pointing up at the hill, as Mishima’s eyes follow in that direction.

“It’s a little far… You think it’ll work?” his muse asks, looking a little unsure.

“Why not? It’s worth a try,” Yusuke shrugs, as he tugs at Mishima’s wrist, eager to get them out of the rain.

“Oi, so sudden!” he can hear Mishima yelp, but it’s not exactly a complaint, and so he keeps his hold as they hurry up along the hill, noting down how warm his muse is, how slender he feels underneath Yusuke’s grasp.

They’re already pretty wet when they finally reach the top, with a few other festival goers also seeming to get the same idea, as Yusuke can see a few people also hiding amongst the tree trunks. He picks out what he thinks to be a suitable spot at the top, allowing them a good look of the river in front of them, while also shielding them from the rain.

When they look up, Yusuke can see another bright sparkle in the air, the fireworks show growing more theatrical, as multi-coloured flares shoot out to form a flower in the sky. Pleased by his quick thinking, Yusuke glances over at Mishima, flashing the other a grin.

“Good enough for you?” he asks, as Mishima lets out a laugh, sinking back against the tree as he drops down into a crouch.

“Definitely, I guess I should trust the art student to find the best view for these sorts of things,” he snickers, as Yusuke feels himself chuckling along, sliding down to sit beside Mishima.

They spend the next few minutes in a comfortable silence, watching as various colours and shapes fill up the night sky, each of them bursting apart with a satisfying crackle in the air. It makes something in Yusuke feel contented, peaceful, as he can feel Mishima’s warmth seeping into him, the two of them sat to each other as the show continues. When Yusuke decides to steal a glance, he can see that Mishima has his knees drawn up, arms circling around his legs as he watches the show, the sparkle of the fireworks reflecting in his grey eyes.

Yusuke can't help but smile at that.

He hears the other letting out an exhale, brought out of his thoughts as Mishima is now stretching his arms next to him, before leaning back against the trees and grinning over at Yusuke.

“Y’know, despite the rain and everything, this year’s Tanabata turned out to be pretty fun!” Mishima chuckles, as Yusuke raises an eyebrow at him, unable to stop a pleased smirk from coming onto his face.

“Oh? Were our competitions that exciting?” he can’t help but tease, as Mishima lets out a laugh.

“Well, I don’t usually go to festivals, I mean, I don’t even have a yukata prepared or anything,” Mishima admits, gesturing towards his outfit.

“I did notice that,” Yusuke nods, glancing pointedly down towards the other’s school uniform, the familiar white collared top and checker pants of Shujin Academy. “Why not wear a yukata, Mishima?” he asks, genuinely curious.

Mishima lets out a small chuckle.

“Umm – Well, I don’t think it suits me very well, unlike you,” he admits, eliciting a shocked gasp from Yusuke.

“Nonsense, it would be perfectly fitting for you!” he protests, before glancing off to the side.

“Now that I think about it, I really would like to see Mishima in a yukata… It would certainly accentuate your beauty,” he mutters, though it’s more of a thought to himself.

“You’re saying embarrassing things again, Kitagawa,” he hears Mishima mumbling, and when he looks up he sees the familiar blush on his muse’s face, making his heart stutter.

Evidently, he elicits such reactions whenever he voices his thoughts about Mishima’s appearance, as Mishima always seems flustered whenever he comments about it. Such expressions are truly endearing, but then Yusuke is remembering Nijima’s words, and the look of concern on her face.

Does his muse… Dislike it, the comments that he makes? If he does, Yusuke can’t stand for it, as he peers at Mishima.

“My apologies, would you like me to stop?” he asks, his tone genuine and serious.

The question seems to startle Mishima even more, however, as the boy’s eyes are darting back up to him, startled.

“Wha – No, I mean – yes, wait, I mean!” he splutters, his face growing redder each second and his hands waving at Yusuke frantically, before he’s stopping himself and heaving a sigh, his gaze dropping to the ground.

“I – It’s fine, Kitagawa, I’m just not used to it, s’all,” he mutters, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his neck.

It makes Yusuke knit his brows together, as he can’t comprehend the thought of his muse refusing to acknowledge his own beauty. Nijima’s warning again echoes in his mind, but his curiosity prevails, as he finds himself gripped by the need to know more.

“Why, Mishima?” he asks, his question plain and simple.

He can see the other hesitating, as Mishima diverts his gaze, arms going up to hug at his knees.

“I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty average,” he slowly starts, as Yusuke is immediately shaking his head.

“Nonsense, Mishima, you’re much more,” he insists, and he’d go on, but Mishima cuts him off.

“I – I appreciate it, Kitagawa, but you’re honestly the first person I’ve met who’s said that,” he glances up briefly at Yusuke, giving him a weak smile, before his eyes are falling back down.

“Everyone else… Well… They've kind of been saying a different story my whole life…” he hears Mishima sucking in a breath, though it sounds strained.

“I don’t know if you remember old news, but… My time on the volleyball team was during the time where Kamoshida coached us… You know, the gym teacher everyone kept talking about,” he mumbles, his voice growing quieter with each word now.

It takes Yusuke a few moments, as he recognises that name yet again, and then he’s putting two and two together, as he can barely stifle a horrified gasp. The mere thought of Mishima being subjected to the abuse that he heard of from Akira and the others makes something in him boil, as he can only wish that he was there during the heist in the teacher’s Palace, to personally make that denigrate responsible for his actions.

But he can’t, and the man is already behind bars, already dealt with before Yusuke even knew his existence. Instead, Yusuke lets out a sigh, his hand going up to brush a strand of hair out of his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mishima, I wasn’t aware,” he murmurs, but his muse is shaking his head.

“No, no, it’s fine, Kitagawa,” the shorter boy assures him, giving him another smile. “You don’t have to worry about stuff like that! It’s not like you, anyway,” he teases, bumping a fist gently against Yusuke.

It makes Yusuke huff out a laugh, but he still feels the need to comfort Mishima, to assure him that all past perceptions of him are utterly false, as Yusuke can’t stand the idea of his muse holding himself to such small regard. 

“There’s no need to reassure me,” he says, as he reaches a hand up to knead at his shoulders. “I know what it’s like to be at the receiving end of a mentor’s cruel ego,” he admits, eliciting a surprised ‘ _eh?_ ’ from the other.

“You… You do?” Mishima’s eyes flicker back up to him.

Yusuke nods.

“I was a student of Madarame,” he states, but it’s enough to make Mishima’s eyes widen with surprise.

“The Madarame, the artist behind the big scandal a month ago?” his muse looks like he can barely believe it, but Yusuke is nodding his head in ascertainment.

“Madarame raised me, and throughout my entire life, he had been taking my work, claiming it as his own, along with the countless other pupils that he stole from,” Yusuke he explains, letting out a sigh when the painful memories begin to resurface.

“It was only recently did I find it in myself to acknowledge my mentor’s wrongdoings, and to see his actions as abuse, rather than acts of disciplining,” he continues, unable to stop a small smile now when he recalls the support of his friends during the day of their heist.

“That’s… That’s when you joined the Phantom Thieves, didn’t you?” Mishima asks, his voice barely a whisper now.

His comment is a little too on the nose, and it makes Yusuke jerk his gaze up to the other in surprise. His actions seem to startle Mishima, however, as the other raises a hand up, as if in mock surrender.

“Oh! Umm – Sorry, Akira told me a couple days after we met,” he explains. “To be honest, I think he was trying to assure me that you were harmless... But don’t worry! He didn't say much, and I won’t tell anyone or anything like that.”

Yusuke lets out a chuckle, amused by how embarrassed Mishima seems over this.

“I know you won’t, Mishima,” he smiles, his gaze softening.

“But my point still stands. To me, you are my muse, and I swear that I will convey your beauty onto my canvas, so that you may understand your true worth,” he says, his voice gone low and serious now.

A brief pause settles in between them, before Mishima is letting out a small laugh, his hand falling down to idly grab at blades of grass.

“I – I don’t know about that, Kitagawa,” he admits, as Yusuke can detect hints of melancholy in Mishima’s voice that makes his heart twist.

It pains him to see Mishima looking so dejected, making him sorely wish that he knew how to fix this, to make that expression disappear.

“If only I could show you what I see in you,” he murmurs, unable to stop himself now as he brings a hand up to lightly brush a finger along Mishima’s cheek.

His muse feels cool against his touch, soft and smooth as he trails it along to settle his hand along Mishima’s jaw, cradling a side of his face with his hand. It’s dark around them, but he can still see a blush beginning to appear on Mishima’s cheeks, colouring them in that wonderful shade of pink that he’s seen so many times.

“Umm… – Kitagawa?” he hears Mishima stammering, as he leans in closer, moving entirely on instinct.

“Yes?” Yusuke barely manages to breathe, as he strokes a thumb slowly along Mishima’s cheekbone, reveling in the sensation of his muse’s skin underneath him.

“Y – You’re close…” Mishima is saying, a tremble in his voice, but Yusuke is too far gone now, as he hears his heart thundering against his ears.

“Is that bad?” he murmurs, their faces mere inches apart now, allowing him to see the long lashes that line Mishima’s eyes.

He doesn’t hear a reply from Mishima, as the other is flushing a brighter shade now, and he can’t help but find that absolutely… _Adorable_ , barely resisting a chuckle at how wonderful his muse is.

He can see the stars of the night sky reflected in Mishima’s grey eyes, as the other peers into him. It sends thrills running down him, as he finds himself gripped by the need of _more_ , as he gently angles Mishima’s head just a little to the side, flickering his eyes down for the briefest moment to see the other’s lips, thin and so inviting. He can feel Mishima’s breaths against his own, as he’s so close now, so close to getting it, as he dares to lean in even closer, and –

_RINGRING, RINGRING_

Mishima is instantly jumping away at the sudden sound, out of his grasp, his face now fully flushed.

“Umm – Your phone,” he stammers, sounding a little winded as Yusuke retracts, feeling an odd sense of frustration in himself as he does so.

He quickly extracts his phone from his pocket, as he clicks it open, bringing the receiver up to his ear.

“Hello?” he mutters, barely able to keep the irritation out of his voice. It certainly doesn’t help when a painfully familiar voice sounds out on the other end.

“Oiiii, Yusuke, where are you, did you get kidnapped or something?” Ryuji’s tinny voice drones out.

Yusuke can already feel a headache coming on.

“You were gone for so long, Akira started getting worried, saying that no way could the snack lines be that long.”

Ah, right. The snacks.

Yusuke vaguely remembers being sent out to scour for snacks, before running into Mishima. Still, it does little to abate his exasperation, as Ryuji just interrupted… What was it that he interrupted, anyway?

Yusuke doubts that he has time to figure this out now, as he lets out a sigh and reaches up his hand to pinch at his eyebrows,

“I’m _fine_ , thank you for your concern,” he replies. “I bumped into Mishima, and we got caught out in the rain, so we went out to go find some shelter.”

“Ooh, I see,” Ryuji responds, before Yusuke can hear his voice calling out to another person. “Yo, Akira, he’s fine, he just found Mishima, so they’re hiding from the rain right now.”

“Well, if you’re fine then, we’re all gonna head home now, since the show’s over and all,” he hears Ryuji continue. “We’ll catch ya later, alright?”

“Yes, I’ll see you later,” Yusuke mutters, before he’s ending the call and clicking the phone shut, sliding it back into his pocket.

“Sorry, it was just Ryuji calling to ask where I was,” he explains to Mishima, who’s been silent throughout the entire exchange.

“O – Oh, I guess I did kind of take you from your friends,” he stutters, looking a little embarrassed.

Yusuke gives him a reassuring smile.

“It’s fine, Mishima,” he says, before he’s looking back up at the raindrops that fall around them, seeming unrelenting in their downpour.

“Perhaps we should go, though, since the show’s over,” he notes, but his words seem to elicit an immediate reaction from Mishima, who lets out a yelp.

“Ack! The show’s over already?” he repeats, as he scrambles up to his feet. “I gotta go to my parents, I totally forgot about them this entire time!”

Yusuke stands up to follow suit, his hands working out to straighten his yukata.

“Best be careful going down the hill, it could be dangerous,” he warns, as Mishima snickers.

“Don’t worry, I won’t slip and fall,” he assures, before he’s glancing over at Yusuke. “Come on, let’s beat the crowd and get outta here,” he grins, before they’re both making their way down the hill, careful so as to not slide against the ground that’s gotten slightly muddy due to the rain.

Mishima is checking his phone throughout, his fingers tapping against the screen as they return to the festival streets, quickly emptying out now.

“Okay, my folks said they’re by the roadside waiting for me, so I gotta hurry on over to them,” he says, before he’s lifting his eyes off the screen and looking towards Yusuke.

“You’ll be fine on your own?” he asks, as Yusuke can’t help but chuckle over his muse worrying over him once more.

“Of course,” he replies, as Mishima’s flashing another grin at him.

“Then, I guess I’ll see ya later!” he waves a hand at him, beginning to trek along the road now headed towards Central Street. “Bye, Kitagawa!” he calls out, as Yusuke also raises his hand to wave back.

“Bye, Mishima,” he replies, though he’s not sure if his voice is heard above the noise of the crowd, as Mishima disappears from view.

Once alone, he’s heaving a sigh to himself, alone to his thoughts now as he heads towards the train station.

The only thing he can think of is that moment underneath the tree with Mishima, as he wonders what exactly it was that he wanted to do, before they were interrupted by the phone call.

He can still remember the touch of Mishima against him, and how beautiful he looked, underneath the brightness of the stars and the darkness of the night. He feels a lightness in his stomach when he recalls how so very close they were, how he could feel Mishima’s breaths against his skin, soft and cooling.

He has to give himself a mental shake to rouse himself of these thoughts, forcing himself to stow these memories away, as Yusuke doubts he can solve this conundrum overnight. Indeed, he’s sure that he’ll be able to work things out once he’s had a good night’s rest, he tells himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just in case people don't know, shateki booth = one of those shooting booths where you try to knock down targets propped up at the other end of the stall


	6. Chapter 6

Yusuke has a problem.

No, it’s not his art slump, even though that is still a dilemma, yes, but it’s taken the backseat now in light of new events.

Mishima _won’t_ _stop_ sparkling.

It’s not a literal sense, Yusuke is quite sure, but every time he sees his muse, he’s brighter than usual, accompanied by a sort of glow around him that forces Yusuke to divert his eyes every now and then, just so he doesn’t get consumed by it.

It started after the night of Tanabata, and Yusuke’s sure that it’s tied to the small _incident_ in between the both of them.

Despite spending a few days ruminating over it, Yusuke still can’t understand exactly what it was he intended to do that night, as he always ended up with a blank mind and an odd sense of frustration each time he recalls what happened.

Mishima seems quite normal afterwards, and doesn’t mention about it, and so neither does Yusuke, as he has no idea how to either.

They’ve met up a few times over the last couple weeks, their meetings becoming more casual each time. Some were accidental encounters in Shibuya while Yusuke was people-watching, while others were meet ups to help his slump.

One time, Yusuke even tried bringing the both of them to the church in Kanda, though it ended up with them getting told off by a confused priest who walked into Mishima T-posing near the altar. Mishima seemed quite amused by it, though, so Yusuke doesn’t really chalk that session up to a complete failure.

Today, he finds himself seated across from Mishima in a café, the both of them agreeing to do their homework together a few days before.

But it’s quite hard to focus on his work when he has Mishima sitting in front of him, again with those bright sparkles surrounding him as he looks over his papers, eyebrows knitted up into that frown that makes him look so endearing.

Yusuke can’t help but let out a chuckle over how adorable his muse is, but the sound seems to catch Mishima’s attention, as the other is snapping his attention up to him, looking slightly accusatory. 

“Oi, you’re not laughing at me because I’m stuck on a math problem, right?” he frowns, making Yusuke smirk.

“No, I’m not,” he replies, though he has to admit it’s a bit of a lie. Mishima lets out a groan, falling back and slumping down against the cushions of his booth seat.

“Derivatives are hard, alright?” he complains, his mouth forming into a pout that looks absolutely adorable.

“I’m sure they are,” Yusuke replies patiently, eliciting an irritated huff from his muse that makes him grin.

“What’re you working on, anyway?” Mishima leans back up to peer over at the piles of paper in front of Yusuke.

“Comparing and contrasting the aesthetics behind the golden and silver ratio,” he answers, turning over his page over to allow Mishima to look over the diagrams and figures he’s been looking at for the past hour.

He can see the other scrutinising over his work, as Mishima squints his eyes down to examine the paper, making Yusuke hold back a chuckle over how intensely he seems to be deciphering the pictures.

“This… This looks like geometry,” Mishima eventually remarks, as Yusuke shrugs.

“It’s something like that,” he says. “These are just mathematical equations that were calculated from various works of art, as a common pattern was quickly found to lie behind many figures that the human eye tended to find aesthetically pleasing.”

He can see Mishima nodding along to his words, the other appearing to be in thought.

“Hmm, I think we actually went over this in school once,” Mishima comments, as he turns over the paper to reveal more formulas.

“Not in so much detail, though,” he adds with a wince. “I didn’t realise how mathematical art could get.”

“Mishima! Is that you?” a voice interrupts them, as Yusuke looks up to see a group of students approaching them.

The students appear to be around the same age as them, maybe even the same year, but Yusuke doesn’t recognise their uniform. At first, he thinks they’re perhaps friends of Mishima, but when he glances over at his muse, Mishima appears to retract into himself, shrinking against the seat and looking towards the table.

“Oh, um… Hey, Akiyama…” Mishima mutters in greeting, refusing to look up towards the group.

“Ooh, it really is him!” he hears one of the boys crowing, as they snicker.

“Sorry, it’s hard to remember you, since you were such a bore back then,” the one at the front, which Yusuke takes to be Akiyama, smirks.

Mishima fidgets on the spot.

“Ha, good one…” he mumbles, a familiar strained look in his eyes now that makes Yusuke clench his fist.

Why on earth was he not standing up to these ill-mannered hooligans?

“Well, once a zero, always a zero,” Akiyama continues, puffing out his chest and looking so damn condescending that Yusuke can’t stop himself from slamming his fist on their table now, drawing all eyes to himself as he glares up at the group.

“If you’ve got no business with us, I suggest you move on,” he says, taking effort to restrain his voice from turning into a growl. “Evidently, we’re busy with work, so we don’t have much time for idle chit chat.”

His little outburst seems to have thrown off the group, as they regard him with raised eyebrows, while Mishima stares at him with wide eyes. But Yusuke refuses to back down, as he narrows his gaze at the other, daring him to say another word.

The moment of silence lasts a little too long, but then the leader is twisting his mouth into a scowl, stepping away from their table.

“Tch, did you get yourself a guard dog or something?” he scoffs, turning away from them. “How lame.”

And then they’re walking off, exiting the café and leaving the two of them in silence. Mishima doesn’t say a word throughout, as Yusuke watches them go, just to make sure they don’t try something funny afterwards.

“Hmph, what troublemakers,” Yusuke scoffs once they’re gone, as he sits back against his chair and crosses his arms.

“I’m… I’m sorry about that…” he can hear Mishima mumbling, voice so small that it makes something in him jerk, as he looks up at the other with a frown on his face.

“There’s no need to be sorry, Mishima, they’re just delinquents with nothing better to do in their lives,” Yusuke reassures the other, as Mishima lets out a small chuckle.

“Ha, you make a good point,” he concedes, eyes briefly darting up towards Yusuke as he gives the other a quick grin, though it’s short-lived, as his gaze quickly drops back down to the table.

“They’d always do this to me back in my old school, calling me zero and all that…” he continues, letting out a weak laugh. “I guess it’s hard to shake off old reputations, huh?”

He looks pained, just like on the night of the festival, and it makes Yusuke’s heart twist. He loves all of Mishima’s expressions, but he’s realising now that he never wants to see this one.

Desperate, he reaches out to touch at Mishima’s fingers, laid out on the table against their work, beginning to inspect them.

“How can I make you realise your worth, Mishima?” Yusuke murmurs, though it’s more of a thought to himself, as he plays his fingertips along Mishima’s, feeling how small and slender they are underneath his touch.

“U – Um… Kitagawa?” he can vaguely register Mishima hesitating, and when he looks up, he recognises the scarlet flush on the other as he blinks up at his muse.

“Hmm?” he hums innocuously, not aware of what he’s done this time to elicit that reaction.

Mishima’s eyes dart downwards.

“U – Uh… My hand…” he stammers, and then Yusuke is properly paying attention now, following his muse’s gaze to see his hand holding Mishima’s fingers, his thumb idly stroking along the other’s wrist.

“Oh! My apologies,” he starts, having the strangest sensation of déjà vu as he releases Mishima from his grasp. “I tend to get lost in thoughts,” he explains.

Mishima lets out an embarrassed cough.

“S’okay, I kind of already know that,” he chuckles, before he’s flickering his gaze back to Yusuke, the faintest hint of a sparkle in his eyes now.

“But, um, thanks, for just now,” he continues, the corners of his mouth curling up into the beginnings of a smile. “I’ve never had anyone stand up for me before.”

Yusuke can’t resist a smile now, glad that Mishima seems to be cheering up.

“Of course, you’re my muse, Mishima, and also a friend,” he says, his tone warm, and he can see Mishima giving him a smile that doesn't quite seem to reach his eyes.

“Muse, it’s been a while since you’ve called me that,” Mishima lets out a light laugh, not the usual one that Yusuke's been growing used to. “You’re still having trouble with your art?” he asks, peering at Yusuke curiously now.

Reminded of his situation, Yusuke can’t help but let out a groan, his attention diverted.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Yusuke sighs, resting his head on a hand propped up against the table. “I’ve even roped myself into a competition just to prove a point, but I’m not sure how I’ll do, given my circumstances.”

“A competition, that sounds serious,” Mishima comments. “Do you need me to help in any way?” he offers, as Yusuke is jerking his head up, a sudden tug in him to remind him that he shouldn’t take up any more of his muse’s time.

“You don’t need to, Mishima,” Yusuke insists, but the other is giving him a grin, leaning over to cuff him on the shoulder.

“What’re you saying?” Mishima chuckles. “I need to make it up to you for helping me out just now, and it’s not like we don’t hang out often anyway,” he adds with a beam that’s so bright that Yusuke wonders if he’ll be blinded if he stares too long.

“If… If you’re alright with that…” he manages, caught off guard by the sunny smile. 

“Now, what do you need me to do?” Mishima prompts, appearing eager. “Do I need to pose in front of an altar again?” he teases, as Yusuke chuckles along, shaking his head.

“No, nothing as drastic as that,” he replies, eliciting a snicker from the other.

“I’ll… I’ll see, but for now, don’t you have a math problem to finish?” he asks, reaching out a finger to tap at the half-finished equation that Mishima gave up on.

Evidently, Mishima is not so eager for that, as he lets out a groan, picking up his pencil as he frowns up at Yusuke.

“Ugh, did you have to remind me?” he grumbles, looking so adorable now that Yusuke can’t help but laugh.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow uhh 200 hits? im surprised this got attention but i hope people enjoy the story!

“Sorry, Kitagawa, I went and said I’d help you, but all I’m doing now is yawning non-stop,” Mishima mumbles as he perches at the edge of Yusuke’s bed.

It’s the next week now, and the both of them are back in Yusuke’s room, the art student requesting Mishima to meet him there so he could once again try to bring out his muse’s beauty in his art. He thinks things will be different now, since Mishima seems to bright in his eyes, but he still has no hope, as his efforts so far have been futile.

“It’s fine, Mishima, it’s not your fault,” Yusuke shakes his head as he sets down his sketchbook, looking up at his muse. “Is everything alright?” he asks, curious.

He noticed the dark circles around Mishima’s eyes when he picked up his muse at the reception area, but he didn’t press on it, thinking that perhaps Mishima was up with work. But the problem seems worse than he thought, as his muse seems lethargic today, to the point where he’s a little concerned.

“Nnh, I’ve been up these past few nights doing some work and managing the Phan-site, things have kind of exploded now ever since you guys took down Medjed,” Mishima explains, as he reaches a hand up to rub the corners of his eyes.

“Ah, I can only imagine the amount of traffic the site must be getting now,” Yusuke winces, as he recalls the group’s excited chatter about this. Their latest heist did garner them international attention, and he doubts that maintaining the Phan-site has gotten any easier because of this. Mishima, on the other hand, is shaking his head vehemently.

“No, it’s pretty great!” he insists, though his efforts to convince Yusuke fall a bit short as he can see Mishima trying to stifle another yawn. “You guys are finally getting the recognition you deserve, and it’s only fair that I keep up on my end too, I’ve been working on the site for the past three nights without stopping."

Yusuke knows that these words are meant to reassure him, but it only worsens his concerns, as he stands up from his seat, making his way over to Mishima.

“Three days?!” he repeats, scarcely able to believe it. “How can you go on for so long without proper sleep, Mishima?”

“It’s fine, I’m totally fine!” he protests, but Yusuke isn’t taking any of it, as he shakes his head.

“You are a student with grades to worry over, there’s no way you can function without adequate sleep,” he lectures, letting out a sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me, so you could spend today resting?”

“I said I’d help you for your competition, right?” Mishima persists, but Yusuke is already pulling open the blankets of his bed, gesturing towards the pillow.

“You can help me by easing my concerns and getting some rest now,” he retorts, as Mishima stubbornly frowns up at him. “I cannot paint in peace when I know that you’re suffering from a lack of sleep, especially when you’ve got your trip to Hawaii coming soon.”

“But –!“ 

“No buts, you’re going to sleep, and it is your duty as a guest in my domain to respect the host’s wishes,” Yusuke declares with a huff, crossing his arms to look just a little more intimidating.

“Since when were you so pushy?” Mishima pouts, but he’s ducking under the covers anyway, pulling up the blankets over him.

“Since you told me you haven’t had sleep for seventy-two hours,” Yusuke retorts, as he hears Mishima huffing in response.

“What’re you going to do when I’m taking my forced nap?” Mishima blinks up at him, as Yusuke is lifting himself off the bed now, heading over his desk to begin sorting out his materials.

“Don’t worry about me, I can use this time to get some work done, anyway,” he replies.

He hears Mishima letting out a chuckle, catching him off guard as he looks over his shoulder to see his muse peering up at him with those grey eyes, lit up with amusement now as he looks back at Yusuke.

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re pretty nice, Kitagawa?” Mishima asks, a hint of laughter in his voice that makes Yusuke feel that strange sensation in his heart now whenever he’s near his muse.

Trying to keep a straight face, he turns away, focusing his attention on his paperwork as he begins sifting through the piles on his desk.

“Go to sleep, Mishima,” he replies, hoping that his voice sounds steady.

He hears Mishima letting out a hum behind him, quickly followed by silence, and so Yusuke assumes that his muse is finally listening to him. He steals a glance behind him to see Mishima huddled beneath his blankets, eyes closed and breaths gradually beginning to slow.

He looks oddly peaceful. Serene, even, as Yusuke lets out a small laugh to himself before he’s returning to his schoolwork, taking a seat at his desk.

He doesn’t know how long he spends hunched over his work, but eventually he hears muffled sounds behind him, rousing him from his work as he looks over. He thinks that maybe Mishima’s woken up, as he rises from his seat, slowly making his way towards his bed, leaning over to check on the other.

As he peers over the blankets, he sees Mishima’s face, his eyes closed, eyebrows contorted into a frown, as he lets out more incoherent mumblings, seeming troubled. Yusuke wonders if it’s a bad dream, as he hesitantly reaches out to touch at Mishima’s shoulder, unsure if he should wake the other.

“Mishima, are you awake?” he calls out, his voice soft.

He doesn’t think it’s working, as his muse is tossing now, letting out a small whimper in his sleep as he does so. It grips at Yusuke, as he raises his hand up to gently stroke at the other’s head, trying to reassure him.

“It’s just a bad dream, you’re okay, do you hear me?” he murmurs, making sure to keep his voice slow and steady to calm the other.

He feels Mishima stilling underneath him, his breaths beginning to slow now, and it makes a sense of relief flood through him as he continues brushing his fingers along his muse’s hair, noting how soft it feels against his fingertips.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Yusuke repeats soothingly, as Mishima lets out an exhale, effectively stilling underneath him.

Satisfied, he moves to stand up, only to abruptly stop himself when he feels something tugging at the hem of his shirt.

When he looks down, he realises that during that entire thing, one of Mishima’s hands had managed to slip out from the blankets to grip at him, seeming unrelenting as it refuses to let go when Yusuke gives it an experimental tug.

He glances back up at Mishima, who’s still innocuously asleep, the same, tranquil look coming back to him as he dozes against Yusuke’s sheets. A small smile seems to have come onto his face now, too, as Yusuke can’t help but let out a chuckle, reaching his hand back up to stroke along Mishima’s hair.

“You… Do you even know how endearing you can be?” he smiles, as he sits on the side of the bed, watching over his muse as he sleeps. Mishima can’t hear, of course, but his muse lets out another sigh in his sleep that tugs at the art student’s heart.

A few minutes pass, and Yusuke can’t deny that observing a sleeping Mishima, while endearing, is also beginning to make him feel drowsy as well.

He thinks it’s a good idea to just rest his head for a few moments, as he slowly positions himself into a lying down position, careful to not rouse Mishima during this.

Unfortunately, Yusuke only just remembers that his bed is a single when he rests his head against the pillow, realising how close their faces are now, able can count every individual lash on Mishima’s eyelids. It reminds him of the festival night, and he can feel a heat burning against his neck as he gazes down at the other, wondering why he can’t get that memory out of his mind now.

He’s only roused from his thoughts when he hears Mishima making a faint _whuff_ sound in his sleep, before his muse is huddling in even closer, fitting into the space in front of his chest as Mishima snuggles against him.

It stuns Yusuke at first, how close they are, how he can feel Mishima’s breaths, hear the faint thumping of his muse’s heartbeat against him. He’s never shared a bed with someone before, much less come into such close proximity, and he wonders if this warm feeling occurs every time this happens between two people.

But then he hears his muse letting out a soft sigh against him, and Yusuke can feel his heart just about melting, as he smiles to himself, reaching an arm around to better hold the other against him, slotting their bodies perfectly along each other now. Mishima smells of fruit, a tangy, sweet scent, and Yusuke grins at this little piece of information.

It feels so natural to hold him, as if it was meant to be like this. Yusuke finds himself gripped by the desire to hold on and never let go, as Mishima feels small under him, delicate, even. It compels the art student to shelter him, to shield him from the world, even from himself.

He’s still unsure of the reasons behind his actions on the festival night, but he thinks that it’s somehow tied to what he’s feeling now, as he tightens his hold on the smaller boy just the slightest.

Yes, he quietly resolves as he tucks his head against the top of Mishima’s head, inhaling his scent. He will protect his muse in any way he can, as he can’t stand the thought of Mishima having to deal with any more horrible bullies anymore, chipping away at his muse’s self-esteem.

It’s the promise that he swears to himself as he closes his eyes, lulled into sleep by the sound of Mishima’s heartbeats against his own, slowing down to match paces and become one unified, beating rhythm.

…

He doesn’t know how long he’s asleep for, but he’s abruptly awakened by a loud squawk, before he feels a sudden shove against him.

He lets out a grunt at the rude awakening, as he slowly begins to prop himself up against his bed, his back precariously close to the edge as he sits up. When he looks across from him, he can see a wide awake Mishima, wide-eyed and face flushed a beet red as he backs up against the wall.

“K – Kitagawa?!” he stammers, his voice a little shaky. “Why’re you here?!”

Still sleepy, Yusuke lets out a tired sigh, hunching over as he runs a hand through his hair to comb it down.

“I was doing work, but it sounded like you were having a nightmare, so I came over to check on you,” he explains, his voice laden with drowsiness as he begins idly picking at a strand of hair that’s fallen in front of his face.

“B – B – But, you’re on the bed?!” Mishima stutters, his eyes animatedly darting in between Yusuke and the blankets that lie half-strewn on top of them.

Yusuke only shrugs nonchalantly.

“You held onto my shirt in your sleep, so I couldn’t move,” he mumbles in explanation, tucking the stray lock of hair behind his ear.

“O – Oh…. Sorry…” his muse mumbles, his gaze falling down.

It piques Yusuke’s interest, as he leans over, closing the gap in between them to better inspect his muse.

“Mishima, are you okay?” he murmurs, instinctively reaching out a hand to brush along his muse’s cheek.

It seems to fluster the other, however, as Mishima is startling underneath his touch, the art student feeling the twitch beneath his fingertips.

“Huh? O – Oh, yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry!” Mishima splutters, as he wriggles his way out from Yusuke and out of the bed, as he bolts over to the room exit, hastily putting on his shoes.

“I – I just remembered, I gotta run an errand back at home! I’ll be going now, no need to see me off, bye!” he blurts all of this out, and before Yusuke can even blink, he’s out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him before Yusuke can even manage a sentence.

That was…. Fast.

It’s the only thing that Yusuke’s sedated mind can think of as he stares at the door. He doesn’t think he’s seen Mishima move that swiftly before.

He wonders if it was wrong to do this, to share the bed with his muse and hold him like that.

But, he and Mishima were starting to get along so well now… The boundaries were honestly beginning to blur a little for Yusuke, especially when his heart thudded so strangely against his chest whenever he saw Mishima’s smiles.

He’s unsure if Mishima will just let this incident slide by, just like what he did with the incident in the festival, as Yusuke lets out a groan to himself, kneading at his forehead with his fingers. He’s never had to deal with such matters before, and with this and the competition looming over his head, he’s at loss for what to do.

Moreover, he’s got the upcoming school trip to Los Angeles coming in a few days, which he hopes would help in his creative process. But then it’s a week without Mishima, a week in which he gets to stew over what happened today, and ruminate endlessly over what to do.

He thinks it’s probably best if he starts explaining to Mishima the reasons behind his actions, even if he himself doesn’t quite understand them, as the last thing he wants is to frighten the other, or disturb him in any way.

Perhaps it’s good, then, that they have the week apart, to allow things to settle, and to allow Yusuke to gather his own thoughts and formulate a proper explanation for his muse.

He’s actually quite proud of this plan, and thinks things may actually go smoothly, if nothing goes wrong in between.


	8. Chapter 8

Well, things certainly didn’t go as he predicted.

Instead of Los Angeles, Yusuke finds himself standing in the middle of a beach in Hawaii, along with Akira and Ryuji, as if things had never changed from their time in Tokyo.

The Kosei trip was abruptly changed right before their flight, as the Los Angeles airport was apparently suffering from severe thunderstorms, forcing planes to Hawaii instead.

Yusuke idly wonders if it’s a stroke of fate, or maybe even bad luck, as he tugs his hoodie over his head to hide himself from the sun, his other hand tightly holding onto his platter of seafood, which emits a delicious smell.

“Seriously, lobster, again?” Ryuji raises an eyebrow at him as they walk away from the food stand. Akira lets out a small snicker next to him.

“It smelled good,” Yusuke replies simply, since it’s the truth, anyway.

“It’s our last day in Hawaii, and you wanna go around eating seafood?” Ryuji grumbles, kicking at the sand beneath their feet.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Yusuke asks, though he’s not very interested in the answer, instead focusing on chewing on a particularly fat prawn.

“We’re on a beach in Hawaii, isn’t it obvious enough?” Ryuji gestures wildly around them, before waggling his brows at Yusuke. “We’ve got to go out on a big bang, and pick up some hot girls while we can.”

“… Really.” Yusuke deadpans, because he honestly didn’t expect any other answer out of his friend.

“Come on, Akira, back me up here!” Ryuji protests, making their friend jerk at the sudden mention of his name.

“Ummm…” Akira stutters, though he doesn’t look too keen on the idea either.

They’re interrupted when a familiar face comes into view, as Mishima trots up to them, his hands inside his swim trunks as he approaches.

“Oh, there you guys are, with –” he says, before he’s noticing Yusuke.

He seems to go quiet, as Yusuke can see a faint pink dusting his cheeks now as he nods towards him.

“… Hello,” Mishima mumbles, not quite looking at his eyes.

It makes Yusuke remember how this is their first time talking ever since their second incident, and he can’t help but feel the awkward air around them as he inclines his head in greeting, not entirely sure what to do in this situation.

“… Hm,” he hums in acknowledgement, wishing that he was eloquent enough to form a better answer.

Ryuji, however, doesn’t seem to pick up on the mood, as he’s walking over to cheerfully slap Mishima’s back.

“Mishima! Just in time,” he crows, eliciting a wary look from the other.

“Just in time for what…?” Mishima raises an eyebrow at him.

“We’re gonna go pick up girls on the beach, and _you_ are cordially invited to join!” Ryuji chirps, as Mishima furrows his eyebrows up at him. 

“Do we need to?” Mishima asks, looking unsold.

“Of course, Mishima, _carpe diem_ , isn’t that what the Westerners say?” Ryuji grins.

“I don’t think that’s quite accurate,” Akira points out, but it’s to no avail, as their friend is already barrelling ahead of them towards the crowd of people on the beach.

“I… I think we should go with him to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble,” Akira remarks, as all three of them exchange exasperated glances, before following the tracks on the sand that Ryuji left.

They spend the rest of the day trying to chat up the girls they find on the beach, even if it’s mainly just Ryuji trying to talk to girls, while the rest of them hang back and watch the impending train wreck.

It’s a failure, of course, and that’s how they’re all seated by the waters now, the beach quickly emptying out as quickly as the setting sun. The usual chatter that Yusuke hears around the beach is replaced with the ambient sound of cicadas in the bushes behind them, as the sky is now a deep indigo, indicating the proximity of night.

Mishima excused himself to the bathroom a few minutes before, leaving the three of them behind as they sit along the coastline, idly watching as the sea foam laps against the sand bank.

Yusuke honestly finds this environment quite peaceable, with the outline of the crescent moon hanging over them, surrounded by hints of stars sparkling in the sky.

Ryuji, however, doesn’t seem to share his sentiments, as he lets out a noisy sigh, flinging a pebble that he’s somehow managed to pick up into the ocean. The three of them watching as it skips along the waters before disappearing underneath.

“Even overseas, we can’t find any girls,” Ryuji laments.

“Did you really expect it any other way?” Akira asks, though there’s a hint of a smile in his voice at that.

Ryuji lets out an irritated huff.

“And I was banking on Mishima being a good wing man for me, but he’s been acting so weird lately,” he grumbles, though the comment makes Yusuke straighten up, curious.

“Oh? How so?” he inquires, the first thing he’s been interested in all day.

“He’s been pretty quiet during school, and during this entire trip,” Ryuji shrugs.

“He didn’t even react much when I talked to him about the Phan-site,” Akira adds, as Yusuke frowns.

This is certainly new behaviour, and he can’t help but wonder if it’s connected to their incident.

“Yeah, and he didn’t even want to pick up girls today? Now _that’s_ odd, Mishima used to be down for this all the time,” Ryuji continues, before he’s turning his gaze over to Yusuke.

“Hey, you haven’t been doing anything weird to him lately, have you?” he raises an eyebrow at Yusuke. “We know you guys still hang out and all, though I’m surprised how well he’s managed to put up with you so far.”

Yusuke blinks at him for a few moments, a part of him questioning the nature of the word ‘weird’.

Is it weird, what they were about to do underneath that tree during Tanabata? Is it weird, to fall asleep holding onto him like that, fitting their bodies together and breathing in his scent?

If it is, he’s certainly not going to talk to Ryuji of it, of all people, and so he doesn’t bring it up, instead shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

“No, Ryuji, I haven’t been doing anything weird to him,” he drones, ignoring the small hesitation in the back of his mind.

It’s enough to satisfy his friend though, as Ryuji is shrugging again, leaning back against the sand and propping himself up against his hands.

“Ah, maybe the tap water’s really getting to him,” he remarks, eliciting a look of confusion from Yusuke.

Tap water?

He wants to ask, but he doesn’t get the chance to, as Ryuji is lifting himself up, dusting the sand off his swim trunks as he does so.

“Whatever the case, I’m hungry, anyone else wanna bite?” he asks, glancing down at the two of them.

“I can eat,” Akira pipes up as he stands up alongside him, while Yusuke is shaking his head.

“I’m quite full from my seafood platter,” he replies.

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Ryuji comments, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Well, me’n’Akira will go grab some burgers then, do you mind staying back to wait for Mishima? Don’t want to leave him stranded alone on a beach or anything like that.”

“Fine with me, text me your location and I’ll bring him to you when he arrives,” Yusuke nods.

“Alright, I’m starved, let’s go find some food, Akira!” he cuffs Akira over the shoulder. “I’ll race ya!”

And with that he’s taking off, leaving the two of them behind as Akira rolls his eyes, flashing a brief grin towards Yusuke before he starts off after Ryuji.

“See you, Yusuke,” he calls out, before he’s full on running now, chasing after their friend.

It leaves Yusuke in a comfortable silence, as he’s allowed to return his attention to the ocean, the waters black now against the darkened sky. He feels himself relaxing against the cool breeze that drifts over, ruffling his hair as it passes through him. He rarely goes to the beach, even in Tokyo, and Yusuke has to admit that the emptied beach at night is quite a view that he’s been missing out on.

“Kitagawa? Where are the others?” he suddenly hears Mishima’s voice pipe up over the sound of the waves crashing over each other, causing the Yusuke to look over his shoulder to see the other approaching him.

“They went to go get food, since Ryuji was complaining about an empty stomach,” he explains, as Mishima blinks down at him.

“O – Oh, I see…” he comments, as they lapse into a brief silence.

It’s awkward, even Yusuke can feel it, as he returns his gaze to the ocean, wondering what he should do now. He’s in the middle of reciting his explanation to Mishima when he can hear the other shifting on the spot, making a small noise.

“Umm, maybe I should go,” Mishima mumbles, as he turns towards the palm trees behind them, but then Yusuke’s hand is flying out to grasp at Mishima’s wrist, his action so quick even his mind hasn’t caught up yet.

“Wait, Mishima,” he calls out, as his muse startles, gaze dropping back down to him in a confused expression. Yusuke sucks in a breath, trying to compose himself.

“Please, join me on a walk,” he continues, his voice steady now as he looks up at Mishima, who’s now regarding him with wide eyes.

“… Okay…” he stutters, as Yusuke blinks up at him, a little surprised that his sudden request was so easily granted. 

But he’s going to take it anyway, as he stands up, dusting a few specks of sand from his clothes as he begins walking along the shoreline, his sandals sinking ever so slightly against the damp sand with each step he takes. He can hear Mishima following after him, as he hastens to fall in step along his side.

“Um… I didn’t expect you to be in Hawaii,” he startles to hear Mishima piping up, as he glances over to see Mishima staring steadfastly at the ground beneath their feet.

“There were some flight complications, so we were diverted from Los Angeles,” he explains.

“I see…” Mishima murmurs, before going quiet again.

And then that awkward silence is back again, as Yusuke stifles a sigh, wondering what he could do to lift up Mishima’s spirits again. He desperately racks his mind until he remembers the little piece of trivia that Akira told him earlier today, of them being roommates.

“Akira told me you’re rooming together for this trip,” he begins, hoping that his comment would spark some sort of conversation.

“Oh… Yeah, it’s because we’re in the same class,” Mishima answers.

More silence.

Growing frustrated with his efforts, Yusuke thinks that perhaps the best course of action is to get straight to the point, as he looks over at Mishima, gathering up the courage to speak up.

“… You seem downcast, Mishima, even Ryuji was able to pick up on it earlier,” he finally notes, and that manages to elicit a reaction from the other, as Mishima is flickering his gaze back up at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“Oh! Um… I’m not,” Mishima hesitates, before he’s dropping his gaze back down at the sand. “I’m fine, really.”

“Are you?” Yusuke continues, wondering if he should prod.

“Y – Yeah, maybe I’m just glum because our trip’s almost done,” Mishima replies, though Yusuke somehow isn’t convinced by those words.

“I – I mean, we’re all the way in Hawaii, and I haven’t even had the chance to go swimming yet, you know?” he lets out a weak laugh that just tugs at Yusuke’s heart, as he thinks he’s done with beating around the bush.

He abruptly stops in his tracks, forcing Mishima to bump into his shoulder as the other lets out a surprised sound, before he’s turning around and looking down at the other, the sea water lazily lapping at their ankles.

“Is that truly it?” he asks, peering into Mishima’s grey eyes now, something he’s been unable to do for so long.

He can see Mishima hesitating again, as the other drops his gaze. It’s dark, but Yusuke can see faint hints of pink dusting his cheeks, as the moment stretches on for what feels likes ages, before Mishima’s mouth begins forming words.

“Kitagawa… I –“ he begins, but they’re interrupted when a particularly large wave comes crashing around them, cold water splashing against their legs as Mishima lets out a yelp, startling and knocking into Yusuke.

Instinctively, Yusuke is reaching out his arms to grasp at the other, steadying Mishima against the waves. It’s when Mishima draws his head up to look at him does Yusuke realise how close they are, their bodies huddled against each other as he holds the smaller boy in his arms.

Mishima is flushed scarlet now, the night sky reflected in his large eyes as he looks up at Yusuke. It reminds him of the festival night, of how so very close they were to doing… The thought tugs at the back of his mind again, as he wonders what exactly it was they were about to do.

“Umm… Kitagawa…” he can hear Mishima murmuring, drawing his attention to Mishima’s lips, as his eyes flicker downwards, suddenly fixated on them, as he suddenly remembers.

Ah, yes, that’s what he wanted to do. 

Yusuke can feel himself falling into his instincts now as he raises a hand up to catch Mishima’s chin, tilting Mishima to one side as he leans down, closing his eyes and pressing their lips together.

Mishima feels soft, so soft, against him, his lips warm, as Yusuke relishes in the sensation of the gentle press against him. It makes the light sensation in his chest seem to collapse upon itself, spreading throughout his body in the form of warm tingles, like electricity, as he basks in the sensation of Mishima against him, in his hold.

He doesn’t know how long the moment lasts, a second, a minute, or more, but it feels too short as he’s coming to his senses now, lulled awake by the vague sound of shouts over the distance, as he blinks his eyes open, looking down to see Mishima staring up at him, wide-eyed and looking completely dumbstruck.

It’s his expression that makes Yusuke force himself to think about what’s just happened, and then Yusuke is only now realising what he’s just gone and done, which is to kiss Mishima.

Immediately, he’s releasing the shorter boy from his hold, dropping his hands to his sides as he feels his heart thundering against his chest.

“I – I’m sorry,” he begins to say, as what he was meant to do was explain his previous actions, and _certainly_ not to kiss the other. But his efforts are drowned out as the shouts begin to louden, as he looks over to see Ryuji and Akira approaching them, the two evidently finished with their dinner.

“Oi, Yusuke! Mishima! There you guys are!” Ryuji shouts, as he and Akira jog over to the two of them.

“We followed your tracks along the beach, Akira forgot his key card in the room so we need yours to get in,” he chirps, as he blinks up questioningly at Yusuke. “What were you guys doing, anyway?”

The question somehow unsettles Yusuke, as he has the vague feeling of guilt as he diverts his eyes, reaching a hand up to nervously knead at his shoulder.

“We were taking a walk along the beach,” he answers, taking comfort in the half-truth. Whole truth, technically?

“Huh, sounds kinda lame,” Ryuji remarks, eliciting a glare from Yusuke which he ignores. “Well, we best be heading back before roll call, before we piss off Makoto or something.”

“Mishima?” Akira pipes up, peering at the their friend, who’s been quiet the entire time. It seems to startle the other, as Mishima is starting, as if awakened from a daze.

“Huh? O – Oh, yes, Akira, room card,” he repeats, his words spilling out of him hastily as he shoves his hand into his pocket to fish out the card.

“Awesome, let’s go, party in Akira’s room!” Ryuji is immediately grinning, as they all begin making their way back to the hotel.

Ryuji spends most of it lamenting over the apparent failure of their trip, with the occasional helpful input from Akira reminding him that it was mainly his idea, anyway, but Yusuke ignores most of Ryuji's comments, instead sneaking glances towards Mishima the entire way. He's is quiet throughout, his gaze never lifting up to meet Yusuke’s, instead trained on the ground as they walk along the sand.

When they part ways, Mishima only inclines his head in farewell, before he’s retreating into the escalator, alongside Ryuji and Akira.

His expression is unreadable throughout, and it sits on Yusuke’s mind when he’s back in his own room, as he drops an arm against his eyes, letting out a loud sigh.

He was meant to explain his actions, and to reassure Mishima that these were merely an artist’s concern for his muse. This was meant to be his opportunity to right himself, and to comfort the other.

But instead, he went ahead and fell to his wretched instincts, and kissed Mishima. It was his first, too, and a small part of him idly wonders if it was also Mishima’s.

He pushes the thought aside, frustrated at his mind for even straying there, as he reaches a hand up to pinch at his eyebrows.

_Why_ did he kiss Mishima?

And why is his heart thudding so loudly against his chest when he thinks back on it?

His fingers falling down to his lips, as he feels the echoes of Mishima’s touch against his.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa i forgot to upload this, but i had to edit it a heck ton and it was my fav chapter so i wanted to do it some justice, hope you guys enjoy!

It’s a few days since they’ve returned to Tokyo, and Yusuke doesn’t hear from Mishima. He spends most of his time working on his piece for the competition, but there’s too many thoughts swimming around in his mind, too many problems muddling his head now for him to properly concentrate.

Then one day, he receives a text from Akira.

**Akira** : meeting at the hideout

 **Akira** : we’re going to explore the mementos today

An hour later, he finds himself back with the group, traversing through the twisted dimensions of the Tokyo underground. It’s only when they’re exploring maybe the fourth room does Yusuke realise that Akira never told them what the goal of today’s dive into the mementos was for. He's currently sitting at the back of the car that is Mona, leaning against the windows and idly staring out at the dark hallways.

“Say, Akira, how many targets do we have today?” he inquires out loud, curious.

Akira doesn’t even look back at him.

“One,” their leader replies, his tone curt, and the rest of them are blinking up at him, roused from their little tour of the mementos.

“Huh? Just one?” Ryuji asks, sounding disappointed. “We usually handle like, four at a time.”

“This one’s important,” Akira glances back at his friend, before he’s turning his gaze to the front.

There’s a certain gravity in their leader’s voice that makes something in Yusuke uneasy, as he looks back out to their surroundings, as if one of the wandering Shadows out there could bring him solace.

“You’re not looking so good, Inari,” Futaba lazily comments as she's seated to his side, causing him to glance sideways at her.

“You must be imagining things,” he replies, trying to keep his tone calm as he crosses his arms and leans back against the chair.

But his words fall on deaf ears, as their navigator is jerking her eyes back to her computer, her attention caught by something.

“Target’s up ahead, turn right up ahead and there should be a dead end,” she reports, as she taps at the car windows. “Oi, Mona, you get that?”

“Yes, I can hear you, Oracle!” the cat’s voice echoes through the car, evidently irritated.

Soon, Mona is swerving to the right, following Futaba’s directions, coming to a halt near the beginning of the long hallway. Yusuke can’t quite see what’s up front yet, as it’s too dark, though he can hear Akira opening up the car doors.

“You guys hang back, Fox and I will handle this,” Akira says as he hops out of Mona, gesturing for Yusuke to follow.

It surprises Yusuke, as they usually head into fights in groups. But he doesn’t want to question their leader, and so he’s trailing after Akira, jumping out of the van alongside him.

“You… You sure, Joker?” Ann pipes up, sending their leader a look of concern. Akira flashes her a reassuring smile.

“It’ll be fine, I’ll call for back-up if we need it,” he says, and then Mona’s doors are slamming shut, as he turns his attention to Yusuke now, inclining his head to the path forwards.

Not entirely sure what Akira’s up to, Yusuke still follows after him, the two of them beginning to carefully step along the train tracks, heading further into the darkness.

“Care to share with me your plan?” Yusuke eventually asks, glancing towards Akira, who only shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“You’ll see,” his leader answers unhelpfully, as Yusuke has to repress a sigh. Joker’s mysterious persona was certainly proving to be quite detrimental now.

The path ahead isn’t so long, and soon, Yusuke can see a figure up ahead, standing with its back to them, staring aimlessly at the wall up ahead. As they get closer, he swears that the shape seems familiar. Short, with ruffled hair and in an awfully familiar uniform…

He feels his heart stop when the Shadow looks over to face them, revealing the face of his muse, except it’s not Mishima, his usual warm grey eyes replaced with the lurid yellow ones that Shadows possessed.

“Akir – Joker… What is the meaning of this?” Yusuke can barely manage to ask, unable to tear his eyes away from the Shadow. 

It looks so much like him, and yet completely different, with its emotionless, unreadable expression and blank eyes. Yusuke has seen so many of Mishima’s expressions, recorded them all down in his mind, and none of them look like the Shadow standing before him, empty and unfeeling.

“Fox, has Mishima ever talked to you about his old classmate, someone called Akiyama?” he can hear Akira asking, forcing his attention away as he looks over to his leader, giving him an uncertain nod.

“Yes… We ran into him one day, Mishima explained to me about how he was tormented by him and his gang,” he replies, uncertain where Akira’s going with this.

“Mishima recently discussed with me the possibility of placing Akiyama as a target of the Phantom Thieves, to change his heart,” his leader sighs, as Yusuke can see his red gloved hand beginning to toy with the dagger in his grasp.

“I had my suspicions, so I thought it would be worth heading into the mementos to see if he had a Shadow of his own,” Akira nods towards the Shadow that’s staring right at them, which so far hasn’t moved a muscle yet.

Akira is then looking over at him expectantly, as Yusuke drops his gaze, somehow unable to meet his leader’s eyes right now. Yusuke has fought many Shadows by now, downed even those belonging to familiar faces. And yet, something in him rebukes the idea of drawing his sword against Mishima, even if it’s only a Shadow that bears his resemblance.

“I… I don’t think I can fight this, Joker,” Yusuke slowly admits, his hand falling idly to touch at the sheath of his sword. “Mishima has done nothing wrong, perhaps –“

“Then don’t fight him, talk to him,” Akira cuts him off. “He’s been even quieter ever since we got back to school, so I figured you maybe had something to do with it, am I not wrong?” Akira’s eyes are peering into him, his gaze just as piercing as always, and it makes Yusuke guiltily nod in ascertainment. There's really no point in lying now, especially given the current situation.

“I think so,” he mumbles, as he can hear his leader chuckling. Surprised, he looks up to see a smile on Akira's face, as if they weren't in the mementos right now with a Shadow of someone they both know in front of them.

“I worry about him too, so that’s why I brought you here,” Akira says, his tone reassuring. “There are other ways to change people’s hearts, other than defeating Shadows, you know?” he inclines his head towards the Shadow, gesturing for Yusuke to go on.

Hesitant, he gives Akira a long look, before he’s stepping forward and leaving his leader behind, as he slowly approaches the Shadow. It’s been quiet this entire time, staring at them, observing them, perhaps, only speaking up when Yusuke stands adjacent from it.

“Kitagawa,” it greets, its voice echoing in that strange, hollowed sound that Shadows usually possessed. “Haven’t seen you in a while,” its lips curve up into a crude smile.

“Mishima… Akira tells me that you’ve been considering putting up unwarranted targets on your website…” Yusuke begins,

“Ah, he told you about the whole Akiyama thing, didn’t he?” the Shadow smirks, before he’s waving his hand dismissively. “I was only trying to help the world by getting rid of some trash, you know.”

“Helping the world… By using us to enact your personal revenge?” Yusuke counters.

“It’s my site, so I can do whatever I want with it,” the Shadow growls, his face twisting into a scowl that looks unfamiliar on Mishima’s delicate features.

“Didn’t you tell me that your site was meant for good, to instill hope in others who otherwise had nowhere to go?” Yusuke asks, his tone pleading now as he tries to reason with the Shadow.

“Yes, by putting up instructions for the Phantom Thieves! If you guys are all listening to my orders, doesn’t that make me more powerful than you?” its lips quirk up into a grin, though it looks entirely unlike the smiles that Yusuke is used to.

“Power is not what we stand for, Mishima,” Yusuke shakes his head. “It’s not what the real you wants either… I know this, even if that’s what your Shadow is saying.”

The real Mishima wouldn’t say such things, wouldn’t mean them, that is what Yusuke truly believes. Mishima wouldn’t reduce such things to sheer measurements of power, wouldn’t be so fixated on them. Shadows are merely distortions, extreme representations of twisted desires, and Yusuke is desperate now to prove it.

“The real me, as if that exists,” the Shadow scoffs. “What do you even know, anyway? The site is our only true form of power, the only worth we have in this world. The _real_ Mishima treasures it just as much as I do.” 

“But that’s where you’re wrong,” Yusuke narrows his eyes at the Shadow, defiance boiling up in him now, eager to refute its beliefs. “Mishima has worth, much more than the site, and I’ve seen it myself, I’ll –“

“You only see him as your muse, don’t you?” the Shadow interrupts, peering into him with its yellow eyes. “Nothing but some instrument to get you past your slump.”

The words are accusing, and they grate into him as he vehemently shakes his head.

“No, Mishima is more than my muse, he’s important to me,” he explains, his tone growing frustrated now.

“You don’t need to lie, Kitagawa, I know even _you_ get tired of me,” the Shadow gestures towards itself, before waving its hand lazily at him. “Once a zero, always a zero, right?”

Yusuke can practically feel himself snapping at that.

“Wrong!” he just about shouts, starting the Shadow now as it jerks and stares at him with wide open eyes. “Why do you keep jumping to these sorts of conclusions by yourself, Mishima?” he growls, as he sucks in a breath, trying to steady himself before looking back up at the Shadow.

“Would I spend so much time with someone I dislike? Would I… _Kiss_ someone I dislike?” he hesitates at the last one, unable to stop the hot sensation crawling along his neck.

“Huh?” the Shadow looks confused, as it knits its eyebrows up at him. “Wasn’t that… Because you saw me as your muse?”

“No, I did see you as my muse before, but then…” Yusuke lets out a sigh. “It became more,” he confesses, dropping his gaze to the side, slightly embarrassed now when all of these thoughts are spilling out of his mind.

“I wanted to see you more, to spend more time with you… But soon, that wasn’t enough, either. I want to hold you, to protect you, to see every smile and hear every laugh that you make now,” he continues, feeling the heat against his face growing with each word as he finally stops himself.

“I… I still don’t quite understand, but this is what I was meant to tell you, perhaps with more… Finesse,” he winces at his own words, looking back up to see the Shadow outright gawping at him now.

“You… You really don’t get it?” the Shadow asks, seeming incredulous now.

Yusuke shakes his head miserably.

“Evidently, these sorts of feelings are new to me, and I wasn’t even able to properly formulate the in my mind before I fell to my instincts and kissed you that night,” he admits guiltily, reaching a hand up to press against his shoulders uncomfortably.

A sort of pause comes in between them. When Yusuke dares to look up at the Shadow, it's rubbing its hands against its forehead, seeming in thought. He hears the Shadow mumbling to itself, before clapping its cheeks with both hands, as if it was snapping itself out of something.

He’s surprised when he then hears a small sound coming from the Shadow, even more surprised when he realises that it’s laughter, as he looks to see a smile on the Shadow, different from the one before, warm and natural, making it almost look like the real Mishima.

“I see… I think I get it now,” the Shadow chuckles, as it flickers its yellow gaze up to meet Yusuke’s eyes. "God, you really are a weirdo eccentric, aren't you?"

Yusuke thinks back to the first day they met in that planetarium.

"Ah, so that's what you meant by that, isn't it?" he lets out an embarrassed cough, and the Shadow grins.

“Don't worry, he doesn't think that way now, not so much at least," it chuckles, tone becoming warmer, more like its real counterpart. All the previous malice and snark seemed to be gone now. "But I see... I’ll have a talk with him, to see if there’s anything I can do about the site. The whole Akiyama thing is nothing really. He wanted to focus on another, much _bigger_ , problem instead, to be honest." That comment was meant to be reassuring, Yusuke thinks, but it only makes him frown in concern.

"A bigger problem? What could it be?" he asks, but the Shadow is shaking its head.

"You can't expect all the answers given to you, Kitagawa," it says. "This is a problem that would need the both of you to solve, not just a simple Shadow like me. But hey, to give some advice as a simple Shadow, I think you’re going to have to sort out your feelings first before running to him about it,” the Shadow smiles, looking sincere. It throws Yusuke off, unused to how real this Shadow seems now.

“I – I will,” he promises, wondering what he should do in this sort of situation now. Should he… Bow in thanks? He’s never done that to a Shadow, and it feels quite strange to do so, to be honest…

He’s brought of his ruminations when he sees the Shadow gesturing over to him.

“Kitagawa, come closer,” the Shadow smiles, expression still warm.

Confused, Yusuke takes a cautious step forward, bringing him a few inches in front of the Shadow now as he stands in front of it. As he looks down on it, it’s looking back up at him with sparkling eyes that remind him of the real Mishima, as it lets out a huff of laughter and slowly reaches a hand up to lift up his mask.

When he’s about to ask it what it’s up to, the Shadow is closing its eyes and leaning forward just a little, to press their lips together.

He’s never properly felt a Shadow before. Fought one, yes, but certainly not kissed. It feels odd, cold, but not entirely unpleasant, most likely because the Shadow resembles Mishima, with lips as soft as the real one too, matching perfectly to the memory that Yusuke’s been replaying in his mind for the past few days.

The kiss is quick and chaste, as the Shadow is drawing away before Yusuke even has a chance to blink, as he dumbly stares down at it, completely caught off guard. The Shadow seems pleased by this, as it lets out another chuckle.

“I think he’s wanted that for a while,” it grins, leaning back up to brush his lips along Yusuke’s ear. “It was his first, you know, the one that you stole,” it whispers almost conspiratorially to him, before it’s leaning back and giving him a mischievous wink.

It makes the flush even hotter on Yusuke as he continues blinking down at the Shadow, at a loss for words. Why does he feel… _Happy_ , at that information?

He thinks he must’ve been silent for a little too long, as the Shadow is letting out a sigh, rolling its eyes and reaching out to cuff him around the shoulders, jerking him to attention.

“Go on, I think your friends are waiting in the back,” the Shadow nods behind him, as Yusuke is shaking himself back into reality, also making the hasty realisation that he’s probably been out here for quite a while.

“A – Alright…” Yusuke relents, as he begins backing away, looking back to the Shadow in question. It only gives him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,” it chirps, cheerily waving at him in a manner that’s so like Mishima, Yusuke finds himself unconsciously waving back.

When he returns, he looks up to see Akira, who’s giving him a sort of knowing smile that makes a small part of him crumble.

“You saw, didn’t you?” Yusuke mumbles, as Akira lets out a small chuckle.

“Well, to be more accurate, _we_ saw,” he gestures towards the van that’s now behind him, previously not there when Yusuke left his leader. Yusuke can only stare at it in utter silence.

And then Ryuji’s head is sticking out of the van, his mask unable to conceal his grin.

“Yo, Fox, we got bored – _Ack_!” he begins, but then Ann is elbowing him to the side, as she also pokes her head out.

“We were worried, so we asked Mona to drive up, and then we saw you and the Shadow,” she helpfully amends, though her eyes betray that they saw much more.

Yusuke shoots a glare towards Akira, who only gives him a helpless shrug of his shoulders in return, before he's is sighing and making his way into the van. He hops on and taking his seat next to Futaba, trying his best to appear unruffled.

“Ask what you want,” he mutters, as he can see the entire group brightening now, eyes flickering back and forth between each other and himself, as Yusuke does his best to maintain his composure, opting to stare outside the window as Mona begins cruising along the tracks back to the exit.

Ann’s the first one to break the silence, as she’s turning around on the seat to peer at him, her blue eye shining.

“Are you and Mishima together?” she asks, with perhaps a little bit too much enthusiasm in her voice. The question puzzles him, however, as he glances at her.

“Together?” he echoes, furrowing his brows together in confusion.

“You know, like, dating!” she explains.

Dating… Isn’t that what people in relationships do?

“No, it’s not like that,” he replies.

“How can that be, then why were you two kissing?” Makoto’s the one who pipes up now, as she’s also twisting around to look at him with wide eyes.

“That was his Shadow,” Yusuke feels the need to clarify, as he crosses his arms.

“Yeah, but there has to be a reason for it, Shadows don’t go around kissing people,” Ann rolls her eyes, as if it’s obvious.

“I may have… Done something similar to him when we were in Hawaii,” Yusuke slowly admits, eliciting a squawk from Ryuji.

“Ehh, is that why he was so red-faced and quiet when we got back to the hotel?” he blurts out, leaning over sideways to look at Yusuke.

“I think the real question is, why did you do it, Yusuke?” Makoto asks, diverting attention from Ryuji and making Yusuke knead his hands restlessly against himself, unsure of what to say.

“I… I’m not sure… I’ve tried thinking this over myself, but all I know is that I feel that he is important… Special to me, and I want to protect him,” Yusuke answers in truth, as he grips his fingers into his forearm, looking down at his feet. “I’ve never experienced this before, and even now I’m still trying to grasp at these feelings.”

“I think it’s pretty simple, Inari,” Futaba pipes up, as she prods her finger against his arm. “You like him, don’t you?”

“How… How do you know that?” Yusuke furrows his brows at her.

“It’s pretty easy, do you think about him all the time? Does your heart thump weirdly against your chest, and your stomach wobble like jelly when you’re close to him?” she lists all of these off on her fingers, as Yusuke widens his eyes at the other.

“Yes, those observations are entirely accurate!” Yusuke answers, amazed by how precise Futaba’s questions are. The ginger gives him a triumphant grin.

“Then it’s easy, you like him! I–di–ot Inari!” she crows, pushing her glasses up along her nose.

“Futaba, you’re a genius,” Yusuke remarks, thoroughly impressed by her knowledge on the matter.

“Please, don’t give her too much credit,” Ann sighs with a roll of her eyes, looking a little exasperated.

“Yes, those are quite basic signs of an attraction towards another person,” Makoto adds in her usual matter-of-fact tone.

“Hey, can it! I don’t get to use my otome knowledge very often,” Futaba grumbles, as the other two girls let out conjoined groans.

“Anyway, back to the more pressing topic, what will you do now, Kitagawa?” Makoto is continuing, returning her gaze back to the art student.

“I – I’m not sure what’s the best course of action,” Yusuke admits, as he nervously fidgets with the handle of his sword. He’s never been in this position before, never expected himself to be.

“It’s simple, just ask him out!” Ann’s declaring with a grin. “He probably feels the same way, doesn’t he? I mean, Shadows are meant to reflect on their real counterpart’s desires, right?”

That catches Yusuke’s attention, as he’s blinking up at Ann, taken aback by the rather insightful observation. What she said was the truth, as Shadows were the inner thoughts of people, as distorted and exaggerated as they were. If Mishima’s Shadow was speaking the truth… Then perhaps he did have a chance, of his feelings being reciprocated?

“I see… You do have a good point,” Yusuke nods in acknowledgement, reaching a hand up to stroke at his chin in thought. “Perhaps I will, when I think of a good way to tell him my feelings,” he says, though it’s more of a thought to himself than to the others.

“Of course, let us know how it goes, okay?” Ann grins cheerfully.

“I suppose I should thank you, for helping me reach this conclusion,” Yusuke pipes up, glancing up from his thoughts now to look at the two girls that are still perched over the car seats.

“No problem, that’s what we’re here for,” Makoto offers him an amicable smile, while Ann vigorously nods in agreement.

“You know, you girls are like, _freakishly_ enthusiastic about this,” Ryuji comments, eliciting glares from all three of them.

“It’s _cute_ , Ryuji,” Ann scowls, while Makoto lets out a light cough.

“It’s my responsibility to help students in their troubles,” she says.

“I just think it’s funny how awkward Inari’s getting over this,” Futaba shrugs, before she’s returning her attention back to her laptop, typing out at that ridiculous pace she always does.

Ann and Ryuji spend the rest of the journey bickering, as they usually do, while the rest can only observe from afar, not wanting to throw themselves into the fray. Yusuke doesn’t pay much heed, anyway, as his mind’s too caught up on recent events, as he feels a nervous restlessness in himself, now that he’s finally been able to figure out his own feelings that have plagued him for so long.

He likes Mishima, and he’s honestly just frustrated at himself for taking so long to arrive at this conclusion. But now, he can finally put his feelings into words, and to convey them to Mishima. Yusuke cannot wait until the next time he gets to see his muse.


	10. Chapter 10

Yusuke still doesn’t hear from Mishima a couples of days after their trip to the mementos. He thinks about it, about sending a message to Mishima asking him how he was, but Akira discouraged it, telling him that such things needed time.

And so he resigns himself to waiting, though it’s quite difficult when he feels so restless. He finds his fingers idly straying over to his phone when he’s not doing anything, or his eyes flickering to it whenever he sets it on his table once he returns to his room.

Then one weekday, his phone lets out a buzz, calling his immediate attention as he grabs at it in his pocket, opening it up and tapping at the message box. His eyes widen when he sees the sender’s name.

**Mishima** : kitagawa, im sorry for not speaking to you these past few days

**Mishima** : are you free today after school?

**Mishima** : i feel that i need to talk to you about some stuff

He’s immediately tapping out a reply, fingers flying across the screen in a speed that’s comparable to Futaba’s.

**Yusuke** : Of course, it’s not a problem.

He hesitates, wondering if he should ask more, perhaps checking up on Mishima’s condition, but the other is sending a message before he has the chance.

**Mishima** : that’s great!

**Mishima** : do you mind meeting me in front of the train station at shibuya?

**Mishima** : i need to buy books for school

It’s how he winds up standing in front of his usual spot by Shibuya station as soon as he’s done with his classes, the place where he’d usually go to people-watch. He’s leaning against the signboard, idly watching as people come and go, but he feels as if his mind can’t quite render the images of them, can’t quite process them clearly, as it’s preoccupied with something else.

“Kitagawa!” a voice echoes out, bringing him out of his ruminations as he looks up.

He can feel his heart stuttering in his chest when he immediately recognises Mishima. It feels like ages since he last saw his muse, and Mishima looks no less sparkly than before, grey eyes looking up at him.

“Mishima,” Yusuke manages to greet, hoping that his voice is steady.

“I’m sorry, did you wait long?” Mishima’s asking, a hint of worry in his eyes that makes Yusuke vehemently shake his head.

“No, not at all,” he insists.

"Oh, okay," he notices Mishima letting out a quiet exhale, seeming relieved.

An awkward pause hangs over them, with Mishima fidgeting nervously on the spot while Yusuke racks his brain over something to say. Mishima's the first to break the silence, as he looks back up at Yusuke, pointing a finger towards the general direction of the Shibuya bookstore.

"So, books?" he asks, and Yusuke nods, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

"Yes, books," he repeats, and then he's instantly giving himself a mental smack on the forehead over what he just said. He's spent these past few days practicing what to say when he finally did get to meet Mishima again, and here he is, right in front of Yusuke, and all Yusuke can do is sound like a buffoon.

Their little trip to the bookstore is punctuated by silence and occasional awkward small talk, as Mishima provides him small updates on his school life. He tells Yusuke about their recent lectures, on how the Phan-site is going, and he even gives Yusuke one of his adorable smiles when he speaks about the growing base of the site. Being in Mishima's presence fills Yusuke with a giddy sense of joy, especially now that he's been made aware of his own feelings, and time just flies by, as he barely registers the fact that they're already walking out of the bookstore, with Mishima's new textbook in tow. 

It's only when they're standing at the sidewalk is he pulled out of his serene enjoyment of his reunion with Mishima, his brain instead entering panic mode as he fears he may be squandering his afternoon with Mishima. He can see Mishima turning to him, the nervous look returning to Mishima's face as his fingers begin playing with the black handles of his schoolbag.

What was it that Ann said? He needed to get his feelings across, wasn't that right? What was even the proper procedure for that? Is there a proper procedure?

Yusuke had done his research, and all these - as the sites called them - _confession scenes_ , were all so well orchestrated, beneath orange sunsets, amidst floating cherry blossom petals. Yusuke can't afford to confess here, in some ragtag street in the middle of Shibuya! Mishima deserved much more than that!

"Um, so, Kitagawa, about -" he begins, but Yusuke is cutting him off, his brain reaching a solution that could possibly extend their time together, and at least bring them to a more private place.

“I’m walking you home,” Yusuke declares, as Mishima looks up at him with wide eyes.

“Umm - Huh? You don’t have to, you know? It’s only troublesome,” he says, but Yusuke’s shaking his head.

“I want to make sure you return safely, in case those delinquents decide to follow up on their threats after all,” Yusuke insists, his voice firm now as he gives Mishima what he hopes to be a look of determination. He thinks it’s working, as he can see Mishima hedging, and he adds in a hesitant, "and, I need to speak with you," before Mishima ever so slightly inclines his head in agreement. 

“Alright, if you’re sure,” he mumbles, looking away from the other as he begins treading along the road.

It’s an awkward walk, as Yusuke silently follows after the other, barely a word spoken between the two as the busy streets around them begin to thin out, the two of them gradually entering the residential areas nearby Shibuya.

Evening comes by the time they arrive in front of Mishima’s house, the sky a dark orange, as the two of them stand in front of a set of black gates. Mishima doesn’t take too much time taking out his keys to click the lock open, but then it leaves the two of them hesitantly loitering outside the front door, as Yusuke is not quite sure how to proceed from here. He didn't think he'd get this far, to be honest. 

“Do you… Wanna come in?” Mishima eventually mumbles, gesturing towards his house.

Yusuke has to stare at him for a few moments, temporarily taken aback by the question. Was this... An olive branch, as they say?

“I – If you don’t mind,” he eventually stammers out in reply, as Mishima is pushing the gates open a little wider, allowing for him to step over.

“Pardon the intrusion,” he says out of habit as he steps into the house, taking off his shoes in the front.

Mishima’s house is quiet, the corridors already beginning to darken along with the setting sun outside. It piques a part of Yusuke’s interest, as he wonders if it’s been empty the entire day, since he only notices him and Mishima’s pairs of shoes in the front.

“Is anyone else home?” he asks, glancing around the rooms as he follows after Mishima, down the halls and up a staircase. In front, he can see the other shaking his head.

“No, my parents work overseas so they’re usually out on weekdays,” Mishima answers, before he’s pushing open a door in front of them, ushering Yusuke in. “Umm… This is my room…” he waves his hand over its general direction, as Yusuke in the sight.

Mishima’s room is slightly on the messy side, with work strewn over the desk and books scattered on the floor. He can see several posters decorating the walls, from video games and movies, he’d guess, alongside a school calendar. It’s a typical room for a high schooler, and yet it makes something in Yusuke restless, how he’s alone with Mishima in this room.

Evidently, Mishima seems nervous too, as when he glances over, he can see a faint blush on the other’s cheeks as Mishima fidgets on the spot, before he’s closing the door behind them and walking over to perch on the edge of his bed.

“Umm… So you said you wanted to talk,” Mishima mumbles, his eyes fixed on the wooden floorboards underneath them as his fingers begin to idly fiddle with each other. "But really Kitagawa, there's something I need to ask you. Lately, people have said that I’ve changed, like, said I seem more confident and stuff… I know I’m not acting like it now,” he lets out a trembling laugh, a hand reaching up to tuck a strand of black hair behind his ear.

Mishima lifts up his grey eyes to meet Yusuke’s, a weak smile on his face that twists Yusuke’s heart as he can feel his hand clenching into a fist.

“Kitagawa, you guys… Stole my heart, didn’t you?” he asks, before his gaze falls off to the side, his hands kneading at his lap now. “I mean, I couldn’t think of any other explanation for it, nothing else could –“ but Yusuke can't bear to hear anymore.

“No, Mishima,” he finds himself interrupting the other, and before he knows it, he’s striding over to the other side of the room, kneeling down to look at Mishima in the eye as he reaches out to clasp at one of his hands.

“We did nothing, you’ve got it wrong,” he continues, as Mishima is staring down at him with wide eyes now, blinking in confusion.

“E – Eh? What do you mean?” his muse stutters, though Yusuke can feel those hands clenching just a little around his fingers.

He thinks it’s absolutely adorable, as he’s letting out a soft laugh now, reaching up his other hand to touch the side of Mishima’s face, stroking his thumb slowly along his muse’s jawline, revelling in the soft skin underneath his touch.

“Your change was all because of you, including your act today,” he explains, as Mishima’s blush reddens against his cheeks. “We didn’t do anything to your heart.”

“Wh – What? So all of that… Was just me?” he’s asking, incredulity in his voice. “I managed to change myself?”

Yusuke huffs out a laugh, as he stands up to take a seat next to Mishima, placing himself on the bed alongside the other.

“I’d say that you had the capability in you all the time,” he smiles, as he moves his hand to brush away a stray strand of hair from Mishima’s eyes, leaning in closer as he does so. “Do you see it now, the worth in you that I can see?” he murmurs, using his hand to gently tilt Mishima’s face towards his own.

“Umm… I… I’m afraid I still don’t understand, Kitagawa,” Mishima mumbles, his eyes purposefully looking away from Yusuke’s.

“I see… Then perhaps I should treasure you enough for the both of us,” Yusuke resolves, his words perfectly serious as Mishima is darting his gaze back up at him, grey eyes blinking into his own.

“Wh - What are you saying?” Mishima stammers, his face fully flushed now as Yusuke can’t resist a small smile at how adorable his flustered expression is. He can’t take it anymore, can’t bottle up these feelings in him now, as Mishima is too endearing, too lovable for him to resist.

“I like you, Mishima,” Yusuke murmurs, feeling a thrill pass through his body as he finally admits it to his muse, these feelings that have been welling up in him for so long.

He can see Mishima’s eyes widening impossibly larger at his words, as his muse stares up at him. Yusuke feels the need to elaborate, and so he’s closing his eyes and taking in a breath, trying to compose himself before moving on.

“It took me some time to realise, because I’ve never experienced this before, but… I know that I want to be by your side, always,” he pauses, knitting his eyebrows together. “It was my fault that night, for kissing you so suddenly, but I was so overwhelmed by my own emotions… I won’t blame you if you didn’t want me to do any of that… Any of _this_ , anymore.” He lifts his eyes up to examine Mishima, to see if Mishima is showing any signs of rejection, of shaking his head and pulling away.

Instead, he is quiet, blinking up at him with that flush against his cheeks still, before he’s hesitating. From the corner of his eyes, Yusuke can see Mishima reaching one hand up to shyly touch at his wrist, as he feels a tingling sensation where their skins meet.

“It’s… It’s kind of overwhelming, all of this at once…” Mishima stutters, as Yusuke feels his muse leaning into his palm ever so slightly and making his heart leap.

“But… I’m happy,” Mishima murmurs, voice so small now, that Yusuke briefly wonders if he imagined that last sentence, but then Mishima is looking back up at him, a trembling smile and a look of relief and it’s all the reply that Yusuke needs, as he can’t help the joy that’s bubbling up in him now.

“Am I allowed to guess that you like me too?” he can’t help but smile, leaning forward to rest their foreheads together, so close now that he can see his own reflection in his muse’s grey eyes as Mishima looks into him.

His muse blushes impossibly redder, as Mishima tightens his hold on Yusuke’s wrist, before inclining his head ever so slightly in a small nod. It’s too much for Yusuke to bear, and he has to resist laughing now as he nuzzles his nose against Mishima’s, caught up in this overwhelming tide of happiness.

“Mishima… Can I kiss you again?” he murmurs, his thumb going up to lightly trace along the bottom of Mishima’s lip.

He can see Mishima hesitating again, before he’s giving Yusuke a determined sort of look and nodding in confirmation, which Yusuke finds absolutely adorable.

He lets out a huff of laughter, before he’s leaning forward ever so slightly to press their lips together, feeling the familiar sensation of Mishima’s soft lips against his own. It’s a lot like their first time on the beach, and yet so much better, as Yusuke understands now, and so does Mishima.

Now, he’s also allowed to languidly glide his lips against Mishima’s, mapping out the outline of Mishima, committing everything to his memory. His other hand draws up to wrap around his Mishima’s waist, pressing them closer together as he feels Mishima letting out a soft sigh against him.

Eventually, they need air, and so they’re breaking apart, as Yusuke leans down to rest his forehead against Mishima’s, feeling their breaths beginning to mix. When he blinks his eyes open, he looks down to see his muse’s gaze, Mishima’s face still a bright red. It’s incredibly endearing, as Yusuke chuckles and moves up to press a gentle kiss against his muse’s forehead.

“Mm? You’ve been awfully quiet,” he hums, as he peers into his muse.

“Th – This is all new to me," Mishima admits, his eyes dropping down to his lap, his fingers beginning to idly fidget against each other.

“It’s new for me, too,” Yusuke reminds him, though the words don’t seem to reach Mishima, as his muse still refuses to meet his gaze.

“I… I don’t want to mess this up,” Mishima continues, his voice quiet, “not with you.”

He looks so terribly unsure, that it compels Yusuke to wrap his arms around the other, dropping his hands to Mishima’s waist to adjust his muse’s legs, propping them up on the bed so they can face each other better. It allows him to huddle even closer to Mishima, one hand going up to tilt his muse’s chin upwards to force him to look into Yusuke’s eyes.

“You won’t, that I’m sure of,” he declares, certainty in his voice, though he keeps his tone soft and gentle. “You’re perfect, flawless, there’s no way you could ever persuade me to think otherwise.”

“You’re so stubborn, Kitagawa,” Mishima replies, though there’s a light lilt in his voice now, a certain sparkle in his eyes that makes Yusuke grin as he leans down to steal another kiss from his muse.

“So I’ve been told,” he smirks, as Mishima outright laughs now, as he feels arms reaching up to curl around his neck, the two of them dipping into each other’s space again.

Nobody ever told him that kissing could feel so wonderful. Mishima is warm, his lips are soft, and his citrusy-sweet smell completely enraptures Yusuke, as he thinks that he would drown in his muse, if he could. But he can’t, and so he instead contents himself by pressing his lips against Mishima’s, trailing soft kisses along his muse’s jawline and relishing in the breathy sighs that he elicits.

He thinks he could go on forever, until the mood is immediately destroyed by a loud, rumbling sound, causing the two of them to stop and break apart, confused. Another loud growl quickly identifies Yusuke’s stomach as the perpetrator, as he feels a slight blush out of embarrassment, while Mishima lets out a small chuckle.

“Hungry?” he asks, a hint of teasing in his voice.

“I forgot to eat lunch today,” Yusuke admits, as Mishima lets out a huff, crossing his arms as he glares up at Yusuke, all pretense of humour gone.

“Again?” Mishima raises an eyebrow,

“I was occupied with my project, and –“ Yusuke tries to defend himself, but Mishima doesn’t seem too interested in hearing it, as his muse is lifting himself off the bed, adjusting his clothes that became wrinkled just now (Yusuke tries not to think about that).

“Come on, I’ll make dinner for you,” he says, as Yusuke is widening his eyes at the sudden offer, standing up alongside the other.

“I – I can’t possibly intrude even further, Mishima,” he protests, but Mishima’s shaking his head, already heading out his bedroom door.

“No worries, I’m a pretty good cook, you know,” he looks over his shoulder to send a wink towards Yusuke. “And think of it as an apology, for ditching you these past two weeks.”

He knows it’s an argument he can’t win, as they’ve had this conversation over his eating habits too many times, and so Yusuke can only follow along, trailing after Mishima down the staircase and towards the kitchen.

“I suppose I would like to make up the lost time between us,” Yusuke comments, unable to stop the smirk on his face when a red-faced Mishima squawks at him in surprise.

Mishima is true to his word, and turns out to be an excellent chef, serving Yusuke a plate of stir fry that reminds him of the spiced scents inside the beef bowl shop. They exchange casual conversation for the rest of dinner, as Mishima regales him of the events he missed in Hawaii, of how Ann and Ryuji ended up crammed in the room with him and Akira for a majority of the trip and the chaos that ensued.

He leaves soon after dinner, insisting that he can’t overextend his stay anymore, though it’s more that he doesn’t want to test his self-control over a night with his muse. Mishima protests against this, and he’s only allowed to go after Mishima’s ascertained that he has enough money on his train fare home. He takes an opportunity at the door to pull his muse in for one last kiss, as Mishima lets out a surprised yelp but leans into it quickly after.

Yusuke leaves Mishima’s house in an unbelievably good mood later that night, and idly thinks about taking up Mishima on that offer he made so many months ago about bringing the both of them out for sushi. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo, that was the last chapter! i may end up writing an epilogue, since i love post-getting together fluff, but we shall see. let me know what you thought! 
> 
> i do love this pairing but theyre not my /tru otp/, but the real otp is such a rarepair from completely different franchises i doubt anyone else knows about the pairing ahaha but if you like my writing style and would like more, please lmk, as i'd be happy to share what ive written of them. but for now, hope you enjoy this and im glad i may have turned some people towards yuyuu, theyre very cute!


	11. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as promised, an epilogue! it's short and very dialogue heavy though, as I think these two deserved more direct conversations!

“Woah, Kitagawa, you sure got a lot of chocolates today,” Mishima remarks from his position on Yusuke’s bed, staring up at the small collection of treats on Yusuke’s desk that has managed to accrue over the past couple days. 

“Mm?” Yusuke hums in question, as he hangs up their jackets on a hanger attached to his door.

It’s Valentine’s Day today, and the both of them had agreed to meet up in Yusuke’s dorm to spend the day together. 

In between art school and moonlighting as a Phantom Thief, dating Mishima fits in surprisingly well into Yusuke’s life. Actually, there’s hardly a change from their time spent together before Yusuke’s confession, as they still meet up just as often. The only difference is that Yusuke just gets to kiss and touch Mishima way more, and he certainly isn’t going to be complaining about that. 

It’s not like they make much of an effort to announce their relationship to the world, however, as they’re only really known to the thieves. Ann constantly peppers Yusuke with questions about their progress, to which Ryuji always tells her off for being too nosy. Yusuke isn’t entirely unhappy about this, however, as he knows there’s at least someone who can help guide him through the obstacles of a relationship. 

It was Ann’s habit of meddling that reminded Yusuke of Valentine’s, after all, as she asked about their plans a few weeks before. 

“ _You better ask Mishima out for Valentine’s, Yusuke!_ ” she said, a hand on her hip and a finger pointing up accusingly at him. “ _You might be different from everyone else, but that doesn’t mean you can skip out on an important date with your boyfriend!_ ”

And that’s how they got here today, as Yusuke had asked Mishima to come over a few days before. Mishima did seem happy when he was asked, though, and Yusuke made sure to bring a snack for Ann the next time their group cruised through the mementoes together. 

However, his sense of excitement over being together with Mishima is quelled when he can see a pout forming on the other’s face.

“The chocolates on your desk, there’s a whole pile of them,” he points out, eyebrows beginning to knit up in a frown. Ah, Yusuke didn’t realise that the pile became so conspicuous.

As adorable as Mishima looks, Yusuke thinks that he should do something about it. 

“They’re only gifts from some classmates of mine,” he tries to assure Mishima, as he plops onto the bed, assuming his usual position next to the other. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were so popular,” Mishima says, his tone a little huffy now. He’s got his lip pulled to one side as he looks in an almost disapproving manner at the chocolate pile, and he looks too adorable, to a point where Yusuke can’t help but let out a laugh.

“Jealous?” he wonders, wrapping an arm around Mishima’s waist to pull them closer together. “I think it’s the first time I’ve seen that on your face,” he observes.

“W… What!” Mishima splutters, his face growing bright pink as he hastily ducks his head away. “N-No…” 

Way too cute. 

“There’s no need to be, Mishima,” Yusuke chuckles, as he reaches out his other hand to lightly brush against Mishima’s chin, tilting his face back up so that he could see those gray eyes that he adores so much. “You should know that I only look at you, and nobody could begin to compare with you.”

He can see the blush reddening even more against Mishima’s cheeks, as Mishima’s eyes dart back to look away from him. 

“Nobody is as adorable as you, either,” Yusuke can’t help but grin. 

“Ugh, I don’t know whether you’re super smooth or just an airhead, Kitagawa,” Mishima mutters, making Yusuke blink in question.

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Because!” Mishima fingers are twisting and untwisting themselves at a rapid pace, a nervous habit that Yusuke’s noticed. “You always say these embarrassing things with such a straight face, I don’t know how anyone can do that!” 

“Hmm, isn’t it because I just speak honestly from my heart?” Yusuke tilts his head to one side, a thumb idly stroking along Mishima’s jaw. “What’s wrong with that?” 

Evidently, his answer doesn’t seem to satisfy the other, as Mishima is letting out a loud exhale.

“Gaaah, you win, you win,” he relents with a groan.

“I didn’t know we were having a competition,” Yusuke smiles, withdrawing his hand to prop himself up against the bed. “But, since we’re on the topic of chocolates, would you like to receive your gift now?”

The question makes Mishima, perk up, as he looks up at Yusuke with a puzzled expression.

“Eh? You got a gift for me?” he asks, and Yusuke lets out another laugh.

“Of course, I’ve been told that they’re an important part of today.”

To be completely truthful, it was Ann that told him.

_“And you better get him so chocolate too. He’s been asking us what kinds of food you’re into, so you need to reciprocate!”_

Of course, the thieves themselves didn’t know what were Mishima’s tastes, and so Yusuke had to resort to getting an assortment of flavours for Mishima, just in case. He gets up from the bed, quickly crossing over to his desk and opening a drawer to look around. It’s not hard to spot Mishima’s gift, a thin and wide box wrapped in red and gold, adorned with a ribbon.

Yusuke is quick to extract it from his drawer and return to the bed, offering it over a wide-eyed Mishima.

“Happy Valentine’s day, Mishima.”

“Kitagawa, you really didn’t have to,” Mishima begins, but Yusuke is shaking his head.

“But I wanted to,” he insists, lifting the box up again to Mishima. “Please, accept my gift.” 

“O… Okay…” Mishima agrees, his voice soft as he delicately takes the box from Yusuke. 

Yusuke watches with rapt attention as Mishima undoes the wrapping paper and ribbon, before uncovering the box of chocolates. He can see Mishima’s eyes widening as it reveals the metallic box, ornate and wonderfully decorated, just like how Yusuke envisioned the perfect present for his muse would be. 

“Kitagawa, this brand is so expensive!” Mishima says. “I’ve only ever seen them in those boutiques, you didn’t need to spend so much on me.”

“Of course I did, it’s a gift for you, after all,” Yusuke nods, proud of his choice. 

“Seriously, any store brand chocolates would’ve been good enough,” Mishima’s saying, a hand going up to scratch lightly against his cheek. “You can’t go spending your money on frivolous things like this.” 

He’s interrupted when Yusuke reaches forward to clasp at his hand, making him lift up his eyes to look into Yusuke’s own. 

“You are not a frivolity, Mishima,” Yusuke says with utmost conviction. “Please, do not worry about my expenses, if that is what’s making you unhappy. I saved up my money just for this occasion, because I wanted to get a gift that would adequately suit you, okay?” 

He can see Mishima hesitating, as he clutches the box to his chest. 

“Okay, Kitagawa,” he echoes, nodding slowly. “But… That also means that you make my Valentine’s gift look pretty lame in comparison, too…”

Yusuke blinks.

Mishima got him a gift? 

He watches as Mishima leans over the bed, grabbing at his bag which he left on the floor and rummaging through it before he picks out three bars of chocolate and hands it over to Yusuke. He takes the bars from Mishima, looking down to see that these are some of the more expensive store brand chocolates, though in flavours he didn’t recognise. He didn’t realise that chocolate could come in spicy flavours.

“Ann and Ryuji weren't really helpful when they were telling me about what you liked,” Mishima’s explaining, furiously rubbing a hand against the back of his head. “I - I asked and all they said was you have weird and expensive taste! What does that even mean, how is that meant to be advice!” 

Mishima lets out a sigh of frustration, and Yusuke is taken slightly aback by the slight outburst from his muse. 

“S-Sorry, Kitagawa, what I meant to say was… I really didn’t know what to get you,” he eventually mumbles, looking so down now that Yusuke can’t help but reach out and pull Mishima into another hug. 

He’s just so cute, Yusuke can’t help it. The thought of his muse actually taking the effort to ask about his tastes, and work so hard just for his gift… Yusuke honestly thinks that he couldn’t ask for more.

“I’m grateful, Mishima,” he hums, hoping that he can convey his earnestness through his words. “It makes me so happy that you would put in the effort to ask about what I’d like, I’ll be sure to treasure your gifts as much as I treasure you. Perhaps I’ll make a display for them on my shelf, so that I could show anyone who comes what you got me.”

He hears Mishima letting out a small laugh from under him, as a hand lightly cuffs his shoulder. 

“Don’t be silly, I bought those chocolates for you to eat, not showcase,” Mishima grins, his hand going up to curl around one of Yusuke’s arms and his eyes sparkling, and the sight makes Yusuke’s heart just about soar. 

Unable to help himself, he dips down to lightly press his lips against Mishima’s, slotting his lips perfectly against Mishima and feeling the other’s breath hitch. He keeps the kiss quick, as Mishima still needs some time to adjust, and he’s noticed that his muse gets rather red, no matter how chaste their kisses were. 

When he leans back, he sees the familiar blush on Mishima’s face, as his muse stares right back up at him, at a loss for words. 

And then Mishima’s snapping back, shaking his head ever so slightly and shoving the box of chocolates that Yusuke got in between them.

“A-Anyway, Kitagawa, I think it’s only fair that we share the chocolates, so that you can have some of these ones too,” he mumbles, his eyes darting back ever so quickly towards Yusuke.

Yusuke can’t help but huff out a laugh. He can tell that Mishima is trying his best to not look too flustered, but he understands that his muse can sometimes be overwhelmed by the entailments of a relationship, such as kissing. Of course, Yusuke promised himself since they started that he’d be as slow as Mishima required, but sometimes, he had to admit that following his own whims turned out satisfying results too. 

“Of course,” he agrees, as he lets Mishima shuffle around in his hold, with the other leaning his back against Yusuke as he opens up the box. 

“Okay, you can take your first pick, which flavour do you like the most?” Mishima’s asking, as Yusuke drops his head to rest against his muse’s shoulder. 

“Oh? I thought you’d be feeding me,” he remarks.

“Wh-What?! Can’t you feed yourself?!” 

They spend the rest of the day doing this, idly chit chatting while Mishima tosses chocolates into Yusuke’s mouth. Yusuke is honestly surprised that Mishima even honoured his request, though he can’t say that he’s complaining about it. It’s during these conversations does Mishima bring up the topic of Yusuke’s art project.

“Oh, I forgot to ask, did you ever finish that piece you had to submit for the competition?” Mishima’s asking, as he idly flicks a chocolate into Yusuke’s mouth.

“Hmm?” Yusuke asks, as he lazily chews at the chocolate. “I did manage to complete the piece with you in it, however I didn’t choose to submit that one.” 

That seems to get Mishima’s attention, as the other is twisting around to look at him, surprise evident in his eyes. 

“Ehh, why not?” he asks, sounding disappointed. “You worked so hard for the contest, and you said that you were sure the piece you were working on was going to be your best yet!”   
“Well, it is my best,” Yusuke insists, and then it’s his turn to feel embarrassed, as he looks away from Mishima. “I… I just didn’t want to share my work, that’s all.” 

“You didn’t want to?” Mishima echoes, tilting his head to one side. “Why not, Kitagawa? You always put your all into your projects, why wouldn’t you want to share your hard work to the world?” 

“B… Because…” Yusuke slowly starts, unsure of how to phrase it. “I… I didn’t want to share you.” 

At that, he can see the cogs working in Mishima’s mind, as his muse is furrowing his brow up at him, and then everything seems to click into place, as Mishima is again flushing.

“Of course, my piece was heavily inspired by you, which was why I thought it was best to keep it away from the public eye,” Yusuke continues explaining. “I don’t think I can bear the thought of someone coming by the painting and wanting it for themselves, or even coming close to appreciating you as much as I do.” 

Ah, he can feel his face growing hot. Yusuke thinks that it’s been a long time since he’s had to talk earnestly about his feelings, and Mishima is always the one that seems to bring that out in him. 

“O-Oh… I see,” Mishima murmurs, relaxing back into Yusuke’s hold. 

There’s a lull in silence between them, before Yusuke hears a little exhale, and when he looks down, he realises that Mishima has a smile on his face.

“What’s so funny?” he asks with a raised brow, and it only makes Mishima giggle more. 

“Well, I guess this is the first time I’ve seen you all bent out of shape like that,” he replies, amidst attempts to hide his smile from Yusuke. “It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one that’s getting flustered all the time.”

“Hmm, of course I feel that way with you, can’t you tell?” Yusuke can’t help but add with a pout, as he leans against the wall, pulling Mishima along with him. Mishima, however, seems to find amusement in this, as his muse is back to laughs and smiles, and Yusuke can’t really complain about that, not when Mishima’s smiles make him feel so warm and contented. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annnd that's the end, please let me know what you think the comments! i'll probably upload a fic soon of my favorite rarepair (not persona related unfortunately), but in the meantime any thoughts on my writing or the story are greatly appreciated!


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